Assassin's Creed: A New Avenger
by autiger94
Summary: The Bifrost can transport people through different realms in space, so why not time and space? A malfunction causes an Assassin to be pulled from 1798 France and dumped off in the 21st century. Will he figure out his new place in the world? Will he find friendship with another man out of time? What happens when he meets a red headed spy that reminds him of someone he used to know?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed or the Avengers. Also, I tried to make this as accurate as possible with the character's personalities, or anything else. It's my first story, so I would appreciate any reviews on what you think.**

Chapter 1: Goodbye to Friends

 **Toulon, France: 1798**

"My friend, what are you hoping to accomplish? To bring more glory to yourself?" Arno questioned Napoleon as he readied for an expedition to Egypt. "That land is a stepping stone to establishing our nation to it's former place as a major power. The revolution has calmed, and the major powers of Europe have made peace with France. She is no longer in danger of invasion. But yes, if I achieve more glory for myself in the process, so be it."

Arno had traveled from Paris to Toulon in order to dissuade Napoleon from embarking on such a task but there was no convincing the commander. "I am grateful for all you have done for our nation, Arno, and for being my friend. I would grant you an officer's position on my staff, but I understand you have a commitment to your Brotherhood."

Napoleon walked up to Arno and extended his hand, after a few seconds Arno returned the gesture and bid his friend farewell, "Au revoir, mon ami." Napoleon nodded and gave a small smile as Arno released his hand and left the room. He decided to stay the night in Toulon before beginning his trip back to Paris in the morning. He walked through the streets as the sun was setting and things were beginning to quiet down. People were returning to their homes and candlelight shone through many of the windows that stretched down the street.

Arno returned to the room he had resided in the previous night. After washing his face of the day's filth, he climbed into the bed and sleep came rather easily for him. Over the years, it became easier to fall asleep at night. The nightmares no longer plagued his mind as they once did. They came less often but Arno dreaded the few nights where he would awake with a jolt covered in cold sweat. Hopefully, tonight would be pleasant.

 **Asgard: Present Day**

Thor walked across the bridge that led from the palace to the bifrost. He was greeted by Heimdal as he entered the bifrost chamber, "Are you bound for Midgard, Sir?"

Thor looked at the gate keeper, "Yes, I have spoken to Father of my resignation of his throne. I will return to Midgard and be with Jane." Heimdal was unable to see the exchange between Odin and his son, which made him suspicious but otherwise, he ignored it. He placed his sword in the center of the bifrost and it came to life with light and swift movement.

Thor stood before the flashing bridge that led to Earth, he looked once more over his shoulder to his good friend. "Thank you Heimdal." Heimdal smiled and wished Thor well. As Thor took one step forward, the bifrost let out a loud boom, and Thor was gone. As Heimdal was about to remove his sword to close off the bridge, the bifrost let out another loud boom and a surge of light.

He stared with surprise and immediately removed his sword to shut down the device. He scanned the bifrost for any signs of damage before looking out into space to see if Thor made it safely to Midgard. He spotted him immediately and was relieved, but his relief was cut short at the sight of something else. Something that even he had never seen before as he breathed one simple word, "Impossible...".

 **France: 1798**

Arno rode his horse down the long dirt road as the sun began to peak above the French countryside. He took a moment to admire the beauty of the open fields and rolling hills that stretched before him. He left Toulon in the early hours of the morning to avoid any confrontation with anyone. The previous night was one of those nights he dreaded as visions of death and blood filled his dreams. He relived the scene of what happened in the Temple and no matter how many times he tried, no matter how fast he ran, he could never save her. Even if he could, then what? He would only awaken with a false sense of hope and soon remember the reality.

He ushered the horse along at a normal pace, while his mind drifted off to another place, another time. A time when the world was much more simple. A time when his main responsibility was keeping himself and Elise out of trouble, which he often failed at. He smirked a little at remembering how bad of an influence she was, and how she would insist he was a worse one.

His attention was brought back as the ground beneath him began to rumble. He quickly looked around for any signs of what was causing this and his horse was getting uneasy. As the rumble intensified the horse spooked, Arno was thrown from his place in the saddle and the horse darted down the road. The moment Arno stood up a huge burst of light shot from the sky and encircled him. He stared with shock and drew his sword, not knowing what else to do. He felt himself getting lighter and he was on the verge of panicking.

After a few seconds the light vanished and Arno was left feeling light headed and weak. As his vision cleared, he observed his surroundings. Something was different. The forest seemed different, it appeared to be afternoon instead of morning. He began to walk down the road but felt something under his feet that wasn't dirt, something more solid. He studied the flat black ground he stood on that seemed to go on for miles down the road as he spoke to himself. "What is this? Where the hell am I?"

The sound of something ahead of him got his attention, it was a steady sound that got louder as if it were getting closer. Soon, a pair of lights emerged and were coming straight for him. They blinded his view as he held up his arm to shield his face. After a few seconds the sound settled and he removed his arm to now see three pairs of lights pointing directly at him from ahead.

He took a curious step forward before hearing a voice yelling in English. "Stop right there! Show me your hands!" Arno was able to make out three objects that appeared to be some sort of carriage without any horses pulling them, but they looked nothing like a carriage. There were several men standing nearby pointing what looked like firearms at him, but none like he'd ever seen. Thinking quickly and also somewhat alarmed, he dropped a smoke bomb he had on his belt and disappeared into the woods. He heard screams behind him as he pushed through the bushes to put some distance between himself and whoever was after him.

He ran for what felt like an hour, it was starting to get dark. Arno knew he had to find a town to get his bearings or else he would have to spend the night in the forest and risk getting even more lost. The sun was no longer visible. He could see what appeared to be a light shining through the trees ahead of him so he ran towards it. He entered an open field and found what appeared to be a town but yet... it wasn't a town like he was expecting. In the distance he could make out the walls of buildings clearly not made of wood with so many bright lights, estates that looked more like a nobleman's home compared to the usual farm houses that were found in the French countryside, and more of those horseless carriages moved down the streets but in greater numbers.

His confusion was intensifying but he pushed it aside and decided to address that later, right now the only question he wanted answered was 'Where am I?' So he started walking and didn't stop until he reached a sign on the outskirts of the town. It only said "Welcome to Fort Payne, Alabama." Arno raised an eyebrow, asking himself where the hell was Alabama? Soon he saw a flag hanging on a house that looked like the Colonial American flag he had seen in newspapers but it was somewhat different. Where there was once a ring of stars, there were now more stars lined up in rows.

He continued down the street nearly getting hit by one of the passing carriages, and earning some strange looks from the people nearby. He ignored nearly everything that attempted to add to his confusion because he simply couldn't be more overwhelmed. Maybe he should have went with those men so they could've answered his thousands of questions but maybe he made the right choice in running based on their threatening display of weapons and shouting orders.

He reached a store that was full of what appeared to be rusted old tools and furniture. The window had writing on it that said 'Antique Shop'. Arno walked through the door, still wearing his Assassin hood, sword, and pistol. There was an elderly man standing behind the counter that eyed Arno's appearance, until his eyes fell on Arno's weapons. Arno spoke with his accent. "Your pardon, Sir. But could you answer some questions?"

The old man dropped his hand behind the counter as if reaching for something, without showing his hands he spoke English in an accent that was foreign to Arno, "What can I help you with, Mister?"

Arno paused at the man's voice but pushed his thoughts aside and continued speaking, "Where exactly am I?" Having already seen the sign, he just wanted some confirmation.

"You're in Fort Payne, Alabama." "And in what part of the world is that?" The old man looked confused but answered anyway. "America, boy. You feeling alright?" Arno was visibly shocked at the answer even though he somewhat suspected that. "Mierde..."

Before he could ask anything else the door burst open and seven men ran inside dressed in black, pointing firearms at him that weren't muskets. He figured maybe his previous tactic of escape would work again and he could slip out the back door or a window. He dropped a smoke bomb and turned to run but he caught a glimpse of something that made him freeze in his tracks. Through the smoke he could see a red headed woman, also dressed in black. His eyes grew wide and he thought he was seeing a ghost. Only one name escaped his lips, "Elise?" The moment he spoke she struck him across the face and everything went dark.

The man's body fell to the floor with a thud, he was out cold. As the smoke cleared, it was noticed that the old man had pulled a gun he had hidden from behind the counter and was pointing it at the woman. At the sight of the hooded man lying on the floor his eyes went wide and he was prepared to defend himself from these people.

The woman saw the confusion on his face and slowly held both of her hands up in a gesture of assuring him his safety. He didn't take his eyes off her as she spoke. "Sir, my name is Natasha Romanoff. Those men and myself are with the Avengers. You are not in danger, we are only trying to apprehand this man." She didn't move an inch and maintained her stance.

The man looked from her to the other men and noticed they had lowered their weapons to show they weren't a threat but he kept his gun raised out of suspicion because he didn't know this woman. "I've heard of the Avengers, Miss. But how do I know you're telling the truth and aren't just trying to make me lower my gun?" Natasha nodded in understanding and turned her head toward the back of the store. "Steve, could you come in here?"

A moment later a tall man dressed in a red, white, and blue suit carrying a shield entered the room. The old man immediately recognized him and lowered his gun with eyes wide. "Captain Rogers... You haven't aged a day, son." Steve looked at the man like he was trying to place a name to his face. "Have we met, Sir?" "Yes, a long time ago." Steve sat his shield down and walked up to the man with an extended hand. The old man lifted his arm and shook the Captain's hand as Natasha and the other men checked Arno for any injuries, removed his weapons, and carried him out of the store.

Steve carried on a conversation with the man that he found out had been taken prisoner by Hydra, until Captain Rogers saved them. Steve explained that they weren't going to hurt the hooded man, but that they only wanted to ask him some questions. The man explained his brief conversation with the guy and his strange behavior before the armed men barged into his store.

After a while, Natasha walked back in and told Steve they were ready to go. Steve nodded in acknowledgement. He shooked the man's hand one last time and thanked him for his service. The man, in turn, thanked the Captain for saving him and his men. Natasha thanked him for his cooperation and they left, leaving the man with an interesting story for his grandkids.

 **This is my first story so please leave a review about what you would like to see happen next or wa**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Assassin's Creed or the Avengers.**

Chapter 2: Unanswered Questions

 **Avenger's HQ**

Arno awoke but his eyes were slow to open. He could feel a throbbing in the side of his head and felt very weak. Everything started coming back to him slowly: A small town, strange buildings, and guns. Then he remembered the woman who looked like Elise and realized it must have all been a dream because Elise was gone.

As his vision focused, he noticed that he was in a small room. All four walls were gray with only one door in the corner, a strange black tinted mirror was hung on the opposite wall and he was lying on a small bed. He still wore his hood but quickly noticed his weapons, bombs, letters from Elise, and his pocket watch were gone. He frantically looked under the covers and the bed for any of his things but found nothing. He sat on the bed and stared at the mirror and then a thought occurred to him. He focused on the mirror and within seconds his eagle vision came to life. He realized that it wasn't a mirror, it was a window. One person stood on the other side of it, a woman. He couldn't see her but he could spot her outline through the glass.

He picked up on the hints, he was a prisoner. He sat still waiting for something to happen, an opportunity. After a few minutes passed, the door opened and the red headed woman stepped in. A look of shock was obvious on Arno's face; it wasn't a dream after all. Her long red hair fell down past her shoulders and her eyes were emerald green. He noticed a small bag in her hand. The door closed behind the woman and she stared at him for several seconds before speaking with a flat voice. "Can you tell me your name?"

After a few seconds, Arno decided that he wasn't going to get any answers by being silent. "I'm Arno. Who might you be?" Natasha took a couple steps forward before answering him. "How about I ask the questions for now. What are you doing here, Arno?" He couldn't find any words to speak as his mind was being pulled in different directions, he needed answers. Natasha could tell something was bothering him. She was about to ask another question but he spoke up. "I don't know. Where are my things? Where's my watch and my letters?"

Natasha reached into her bag and retrieved Arno's pocket watch and held it out for him to take. He held his hand out and she dropped it in his palm. "My name is Natasha Romanoff." This was all too familiar. "What do you want from me, Natasha?" She looked down on him with an unreadable face as if she were sizing him up. "Just some answers. Where did you come from?" "France." His voice full of mocking sarcasm as he figured it should be obvious.

Natasha didn't like when people gave her smart ass answers, even if they were being honest. She chuckled and slapped him across the face. He shot to his feet ready to fight with this woman if he had to. "Do you mind answering that again?" Arno didn't break his gaze. "Not at all. I am from Paris, France. I don't know why the hell I am here. I don't know how the hell I got here. Or what the hell is going on!"

Natasha didn't so much as blink under his outburst. She just saw the anger and confusion in his eyes and decided to use a different approach. "I'm sorry I hit you. Can I get you anything to drink?" "I already feel like I've had too much wine..." He softened his stance and sat back down rubbing his hurting head. She softened as well and took a step back but remained alert. "Well what do you remember?" Arno looked up into her eyes. "I was riding to Paris from Toulon, something odd happened and I ended up here." Natasha seemed interested by this. "Something odd?" "I can't explain it. There was a bright light all around me, and after a few seconds it vanished and I was standing in a different place."

Natasha started to put the pieces together but there was only one more thing she couldn't quite understand. "Arno, who is Elise?" At the mention of her name, Arno's eyes opened wide and he looked at her like she had just slapped him again. He made more of a demand than a statement. "I want my letters back."

Natasha reached into her bag, pulled out a folder and handed it to him. Inside were his letters from Elise and as his eyes inspected the letters, he had to fight back the tears that threatened him. Natasha finally had a theory. "Arno, don't get upset but I read those letters. Are the dates on them accurate?" "Yes. Why would they not be?"

She felt the final piece of the puzzle snap in place. She had finally figured it out. "Excuse me, Arno. I need to make a call." Without waiting for him to ask another question she left the room and closed the door behind her.

 **Later that day...**

"I am telling you Lady Widow, it is not possible." Thor had been contradicting Natasha since she presented her take on what happened. She had called the Avengers to gather into a conference room and talk about what's going on. "Well I've got a guy locked up in a cell that was carrying letters dated 220 years ago, a sword, and a flintlock pistol. Now either I'm right or he was getting an early jump on Haloween!"

Natasha had already explained things to Tony, Steve, and Clint of what she thought happened to Arno. She was having a difficult time convincing the one person on Earth with the best understanding of the device. "He said he was caught in a bright light that fell from the sky while he was riding to Paris, and he ended up in Nowhere City, Alabama at what just happened to be an area that was experiencing bifrost activity. We went to investigate and found him." Thor was still dismissive. "The bifrost has never done anything like this before. That is not what it was designed for."

Natasha was tired of arguing with him so she looked to the others. "What do you think Tony?" Tony had his fist pressed against his chin in silence indicating he was in deep thought. "I suppose it's possible that the bifrost could've ripped a hole in space and time in the same way it can transport beings through different realms but I don't understand Asgardian technology so I'm stumped. I do think Natasha is onto something though."

She felt a little relieved that the smart one was on her side but it didn't help her figure out what to do next. "Steve?"

Steve had paid close attention to everything she said. "If there's one thing I've learned since I woke up from the ice after 70 years and found out my best friend is still alive, nothings impossible. If you're right, what are we supposed to do with Arno? I mean nothing is the way he remembers it."

Natasha looked like she had something else to say but wasn't sure if she should, Clint finally called her on it. "What is it Tasha'?"

"There's something else... I read the letters he had on him. I thought they were just a myth but..." her voice faded and after a few seconds she continued. "Arno is an Assassin."

Tony looked at her with skepticism. "An assassin? You mean like you and Bird man over here?" Which earned him a glare from Clint. Natasha and Clint spent a few minutes explaining every story and myth they heard about the Assassins and their secret war with the Templars while they travelled the world.

She talked about the Creed that the Assassins follow, even though she didn't know what it was or how it influenced them. These rumors and myths were seeming more and more likely to be fact. "So based on what I gathered from his letters, Arno is an Assassin. After his father, who was also an Assassin was murdered, he was raised by a Templar family named De La Serre. After several years, the Templar that raised him as his own son was also murdered. Arno joined the Assassins as a means to avenge him and he was accompanied by the man's daughter, Elise, who was a Templar. They were also in love."

Tony cut in. "Revenge, murder, and two people on opposite sides of a feud falling in love. Did Shakespeare write this guy's life?" Natasha ignored him and continued. "And judging from the nature of her last letter, I think she was killed."

The silence of the conference room was suffocating. Thor and Steve looked like someone punched them in the gut. Tony was the first to speak up as always. "That's sad, I need a drink." He made his way from the table to the minibar he was sure to install in every major room of the HQ.

Clint looked at Natasha with a look of sympathy. "We need to help this guy. He's trapped here in a world he doesn't understand and everyone he knows is dead." Tony spoke up from the bar. "From the sound of it, they were all dead before he came here." Natasha and everyone else shot glares at him for his comment. Tony just acted like he did nothing wrong. "What? The man is a member of a murder cult. It's not surprising that most people associated with him are dead."

Natasha couldn't argue with his logic but still didn't appreciate his insensitivity. Thor, having been silent, finally spoke up. "How are we supposed to help him? None of us can relate to what he's been through. A secret war between two opposing Orders isn't something you stumble upon everyday."

Steve was the next to comment. "No, but he is a man stuck in a time that's different from his own. Maybe I should talk to him. Does he know about everything that's happened?" Natasha shook her head indicating she hadn't told him anything. "Then I think we need to break it to him sooner or later. Now would be best." "I'll tell him, he already knows me. Steve, you can talk to him later."

Natasha knew she would have to be the one to tell him but how do you tell someone that everyone and everything they know is gone? She decided to bring Steve and Clint with her in case Arno didn't take the news so well, she wanted Steve as backup and to maybe talk to Arno about his similar experience.

On the way Clint pulled her aside. "Nat, what are you doing?" She looked at him confused with his question. "Walking." She answered with sarcasm and a smirk. "You know what I mean, why are you jumping to help this guy? He's a killer."

"Was I so different? He didn't ask for this. He at least deserves a chance." Clint smiled, proud that she was being somewhat compassionate as opposed to her cold and closed off attitude. With a nod, they continued walking toward Arno's cell. She opened the door and all they found was an empty room. The air vent leading to the duct was hanging from the ceiling and Arno was gone.

 **Well hopefully y'all enjoyed the first chapter and this one as well. Please leave a review on what you would like to see happen next :) I'll update soon as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I already had these chapters completed and just now started uploading them here, that's why I'm updating every couple days. School is busy, along with other things so I'll update as often as I can. (Maybe once a week) I want to thank Comedyfreak94 for the review! Once again, I don't own Assassin's Creed or the Avengers.**

Chapter 3:

 **Earlier that day...**

After the woman that introduced herself as Natasha left the room, Arno waited for several minutes for her to come back and explain herself but the minutes turned into hours. He laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling when he noticed something, a cover to a hole in the ceiling.

Arno used his eagle vision to make sure nobody was watching him from the window. He used a buckle from his boot to pry the cover loose and he was met by a gust of air blowing in his face. He observed the duct and decided if they weren't going to give him any answers, he would find them on his own.

He barely fit in the duct as he followed the flow of the air and after a few minutes, he could hear voices. He kept crawling and the voices seemed to be coming from beneath him. He could barely make out the words. He heard his name and something about time and space. Then he heard a man's voice ask 'what should we do with Arno?' Arno didn't want to hear what they had planned for him as he crawled until he came to another cover.

He pushed until it fell. He found himself outside of a large building in the middle of an open field, surrounded by a forest. Without taking the time to really come up with a plan, he sprinted across the open field using the position of the sun to guide him east as it was setting behind him. He didn't have a long term plan but for now, he needed to get away.

Later...

Natasha quickly pulled out her phone and accessed something on it as Clint and Steve looked at her. "What are you doing?" "I figured he would try something like this so I put a small GPS in his pocket watch before I gave it back to him. Assassins are good at escaping from places so I took a precaution."

Clint looked at her like she was crazy. "You knew he was an Assassin and yet you went in there slapping him around? What were you thinking?" "I wanted to see the sort of Assassin he is. Whether he was fanatical to his Creed or just damaged by his past. He doesn't want to hurt anybody but he will if they get in his way."

According to the tracker, Arno was a couple miles from the Avenger's headquarters heading deeper into the woods. Everyone started heading for the hanger bay but Natasha stopped them. "I'll bring him back. You both just be on standby in case I need backup."

Without waiting for an argument, Natasha sprinted across the field heading east after the Assassin with her phone guiding her. Arno was starting to slow down, he must have thought he was away safely. After about 30 minutes Natasha was nearing his location according to the GPS, but she saw nothing in front of her. He was registering approximately 30 feet ahead.

Her first thought was that he found the tracking device and dropped it. She scanned the ground looking for the little bug but saw nothing, then she heard it. The sound of a twig snap above her. Arno jumped from the tree but Natasha was fast enough to roll out of his path. After she got her footing she stared at him for several seconds. Arno spoke up first. "What do you people want from me!? I'm going home!"

Natasha finally had enough of this crap. "You can't go home! Your home isn't there anymore!" Arno's face indicated he thought she was speaking nonsense. "Please come with me, I'll explain everything on the way back. I promise."

Arno hesitated her offer but thought about his situation. He didn't know where he was, he had no money or weapons. He would also have to fight her to get away, which he didn't want to do. On the other hand, he had an opportunity to finally figure out what was going on.

Reluctantly, he agreed and over the course of the next hour as they walked through the woods, Natasha explained everything about Thor and the bifrost, everything he saw in the town the night before, and who the Avengers are.

As they entered the field approaching the base, Arno stopped walking. Natasha turned to look at him in the darkness and his hood covered his eyes, but in the moonlight she could see a tear rolling down his cheek. This made her uneasy, she wanted to help him but she wasn't good at dealing with people's emotions. She could read them but she was so closed off that she didn't show genuine emotions often or in front of anybody she didn't trust.

Arno sat on a log nearby and stared into the night sky like he had something on his mind. Natasha stood a few feet away waiting for him to come to terms with things. After a few minutes, his mouth slowly formed a small smile as he gazed off into the stars. Natasha couldn't help her curiousity. "What is it?" Arno looked at her with that same little smile but after a few seconds, it faded away. "I'm sorry. You look just like her." It took her a few seconds to make sense of the statement but when she did, it all made sense. The way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, it was because she reminded him of Elise.

She didn't know how to respond so she stayed quiet until he rose and they continued walking back to the base. "I'm sorry for your loss." She said with as much sincerity as she could muster. Arno nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you." They entered the base and she led him to the conference room where everyone was waiting. Natasha had texted Clint to let him know everything was fine.

She brought Arno into the room and introduced him to everyone. Tony couldn't help but make a remark before he went to shake Arno's hand. "Are you sure we got all of his knives?" He received an elbow to the ribs from Steve. After introductions, Arno had to address an issue. "It's a pleasure to meet you all but do you know where I might find some food?"

 **Two weeks later...**

Two weeks passed and Arno was doing surprisingly well at adapting to his new environment. It was decided that he would start training with the new Avengers and maybe eventually join the team, should he choose to. Steve and Natasha spent most of their time with him and the others on base. They were both surprised at how well trained Arno was in hand to hand combat.

Tony would stop by every few days working on a project and Thor had not returned since their meeting. Arno wasn't given his weapons but he was being trained with modern firearms and other weapons.

He found it very convienient to simply load a new "magazine" of ammo after the present one was empty instead of having to load each chamber on his flintlock. He was also shown the internet, and was briefly taught how to use it.

One day he walked up to Natasha after training to ask her a favor. "Pardon me, Natasha. Would you mind assisting me with something on that internet?" Natasha nodded and he followed her to her nearby laptop. "What do you need help with?" "Steve told me that the internet has records of people from the past. I'm curious to see if there is a record of a friend of mine."

Natasha didn't want to get his hopes up. "Well Arno, the internet doesn't have a file on everyone from the past but there's quite a few." She sat at her laptop and accessed a search engine. "What was your friend's name?" "Napoleon Bonaparte." Natasha's eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder at Arno. "You knew Napoleon Bonaparte?" "Yes. Do you know of him?"

Natasha was speechless so she figured she would let history speak for itself. She typed his name into the search engine and accessed a website that summarized Napoleon's life in a few paragraphs. She turned the laptop so Arno could read the article about his friend. He skipped everything he already knew, but read how Napoleon seized political power in 1799 after a coup d'etat and became emporer 5 years later. He read about his creation of an empire through war, his disasterous invasion of Russia that led to his exile, his defeat at Waterloo leading to his second exile on an island, where he spent the rest of his life.

Arno broke out into a laughing fit at reading these few facts. Natasha was confused as to why he would laugh so hard at his friend's life. "What's so funny?" He stopped long enough to answer her, the grin never leaving his face. "He just couldn't get enough praise. He never knew when the fight was over either. Also, there's a funny remark at the bottom of the article about his height." Natasha somewhat understood now, seeing as Arno knew him personally.

Arno thanked her for her help and invited her and Steve to have lunch with him. They met in the dining area of the base where mostly everyone had cleared out, having already eaten. The three made small talk and discussed Arno's training until Arno changed the subject. "I want to extend my gratitude to the both of you for helping me come to terms with what has happened and helping me adapt to it." Natasha just firmly nodded, obviously uncomfortable at the sincerity of his statement. Steve however, was not, as he replied with a smile. "You're absolutly welcome, Arno." Arno had a look that told Natasha that he wanted to say something but wasn't. "What is it?" "Is there somewhere I could procure some wine?" Natasha and Steve shared a look before Natasha spoke. "I may know of a place. Do you have a preference?" Arno thought on it for a moment. "Not neccesarily. I've just got a thirst."

 **I want to thank everyone that's taken the time to read this! :) Also, those that have followed it or marked it as a favorite! Please leave a review, I appreciate any feedback!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This is the second time I have had to fix a glitch on this chapter. I want to thank those that brought it to my attention. If the problems continue, please let me know. I don't own Assassin's Creed or the Avengers.**

 **Chapter 4: Back in the Saddle**

Natasha took Arno out that night thinking it'd be good for him to leave the HQ for a while. He wore his Assassin hood, as he said it made him feel more comfortable and she simply had some jeans, boots, and a jacket. They rode to a gas station and she grabbed a couple of cheap bottles of wine. Maybe Arno wouldn't catch on to the low quality of the drink.

Natasha stood at the counter paying for the wine when she heard the door open behind her. She turned and was looking at two rather large men wearing masks and holding guns pointed at her and the cashier. Her first thought was to go for her gun but remembered that she left it at the base figuring her and Arno wouldn't be gone long.

One guy kept his gun on her and eyed her up and down. "Hmm, what have we here?" She could see his sinister smile under his mask and it made her blood boil. The other man was shouting at his partner to leave her alone but otherwise focused on the cashier as he demanded the money in the register. She could take these guys by herself but she didn't want to endanger the cashier so she stayed calm and waited for an opportunity.

The man focusing on her took a step toward her. "How about you take a ride with us and you won't get hurt, sweetie. Just want to have a little fun." He shot her a wink and she was getting impatient wanting to kill this prick.

As the man at the register finished getting the money, he turned his attention away from the cashier for a second. As quick as lightening, a large mass of blue came through the ceiling and landed on the man pointing the gun a Natasha, it was Arno. The other man turned to his friend and about to fire at Arno but Natasha used her chance and kicked the gun from his hand.

It was then that Natasha heard Arno snap the other man's neck. She slammed the remaining thug's head against the hard counter knocking him out cold. She turned to see Arno standing over the man's lifeless body.

He eyed her up and down as if checking for any injuries before asking. "Are you alright?"

She nodded "Yeah."

She turned to the cashier. "Everything's alright, we'll take care of this."

She turned to Arno. "I'm going to call the police, let them sort through this."

Arno looked a little reluctant to that idea and followed her outside as she pulled out her phone. "Uhm... Won't we get arrested?"

"What? It was self-defense."

"Seriously? The police accept that?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't they?"

"If I killed someone in my time, defense or not, they would have thrown me into the Bastille in the blink of an eye."

Natasha let a little smile cross her face. "'In your time'? What are you like 100?"

Arno replied without hesitation and a small smirk. "245, thank you very much."

She let out a giggle and dialed the police. Twenty minutes later the police arrived and took their statements, along with the cashier's before letting them go. Just as they were about to get in the car, Arno looked at Natasha like he just remembered something and started walking back to the store. "Where are you going?"

He looked over his shoulder but didn't stop. "Forgot the wine."

Natasha laughed and started the car and waited. He returned with the two bottles she bought and two extra. "Where'd you get those?"

He spoke with a smirk. "The man behind the counter offered them. I wasn't about to say no. That would be rude."

They spent the next few minutes in silence as they rode back. Natasha finally broke the silence. "Why'd you kill that man?" She knew if Arno didn't do it, she would have. She was just curious about his motives.

"I planned to drop on the other man but I heard the way that man spoke to you. He was a monster, the other man was nothing but a common criminal. I know you and the rest of the Avengers think Assassins are killers and psychopaths. But we follow a Creed, have you heard of it?"

"Yes, but I don't know what it is."

"It is a philosophy that guides us to bring about peace and shape the world." Arno stared ahead like he was deep in thought. Natasha waited a few seconds for him to continue.

"I was never much of a true believer in the Creed. On a certain level, the Assassin's were nothing more than a means to retribution for myself and to bring justice for Monsieur de La Serre."

"He was the man that raised you?"

"Yes. He was a Templar Grand Master, but he was a good man. The war between the Assassins and Templars is a waste of life. I've seen good people come from both Orders and yet it's the bad ones that keep us at each other's throats."

Natasha listened as she drove. "Do you think you'll go back to the Assassin's?"

"I have no reason to. I am a stranger in this world, I need to find a new place in it."

They arrived back at the Avenger's HQ shortly after. Arno was eager to get his hands on the wine. The talk in the car had only intensified his thirst. Natasha invited him to her room where they sat on the couch.

He opened a bottle and Natasha reached for two glasses. "What are those for?"

She gave him a look. "For drinking."

He laughed and passed her the open bottle and grabbed another for himself. "Cheers, Mademoiselle."

They both took a swig and Arno nearly spat the cheap wine across the room but he fought to maintain a straight face so as to not be rude. "How is it?" She asked.

"Bon, merci." She saw him cringe at the terrible taste and had to fight off a laugh.

Within minutes they both finished their bottles. Natasha was Russian, she could drink vodka like water so the wine didn't have much of an effect, and Arno was once the town drunk so he also had a tolerance of the alcohol. They opened the other two bottles and talked for a few minutes before Arno decided to ask her a question that he thought wasn't that big of a deal.

"How'd you become such a well trained spy?"

He saw Natasha flinch slightly at the question and immediately regretted asking it. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

She softened a little as she drank from her bottle. "It's fine. I was trained in what they call the Red Room."

The name of it sounded sinister. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the Red Room?"

Natasha figured two could play at this game, so she smiled one of her fake smiles at him. "I'll tell you, if you tell me your Creed."

Arno looked up at her with concerned eyes. "I don't think tha-" "Then I'm not telling." She cut him off, slightly bitter that he pressed about her past, but she didn't let it bother her. He didn't know what she went through so she didn't make a big deal of him asking. "Natasha, I'm sorry if I upset you with my questions."

She nodded in acknowledgement of his apology and they sat in silence for the next few minutes drinking their wine. He took his time and enjoyed his last few sips. They began speaking again and making jokes about the other members of the Avengers. After both of them finished their bottles, Arno was slow to depart. He found himself not wanting to leave. He enjoyed her company, but he didn't want to impose on her and overstay his welcome.

"Well it's getting late, I suppose I should try to get some sleep tonight." She smiled and agreed that she should do the same. They both stood and she walked him to her door. "Thank you for a nice evening, Mademoiselle Romanoff." He held her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"My pleasure, Monsieur Dorian."

Arno gave her one last smile and she returned a smile as he turned and walked towards his room. He could feel her eyes on his back as he walked away and was glad she couldn't see his blushing face. After he returned to his room, he got a quick shower and got in his bed. Natasha's face flashed across his mind and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 **Hopefully I fixed any glitches. I'll update soon. Please leave a review of what you thought of this chapter! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**The previous chapter had some glitches and I would like to thank Ninja0404 for bringing it to my attention. If there are any further glitches, please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll try to fix it ASAP. Hope you enjoy the new chapter :) As always, I don't own Assassin's Creed or the Avengers.**

 **(Sorry for the false update. It keeps glitching. I think it's the crappy WiFi in my apartment.)**

Chapter 5: Good Intensions, Bad Methods

Early the next morning Natasha walked into the training area. She found Steve there alone punching a bag like always. She walked to a nearby bench and sat her things down and began stretching nearby to prepare for sparring. Steve spoke first. "Morning, Nat." "Morning, Steve."

She didn't let many people call her 'Nat' or 'Tasha' but she figured Steve had earned that privilege. "Have a nice night with Arno?" There was a hint of teasing in his voice. Natasha stopped stretching and gave Steve a look. "What's that supposed to mean?" Steve looked at her as if correcting her on the nature of his question. "Did you and Arno enjoy your evening?" Natasha realized her misunderstanding of him and felt embarrassed. "We had fun. We stopped a robbery and drank some wine." She spoke with an indifference.

Steve looked at her with concern. "You two 'stopped a robbery'?" "Yes. Arno killed one of em, and I knocked out his friend." This didn't alter Steve's expression. "Why'd Arno kill him? Why didn't he just stop him?" "You had to have been there, Steve." "Nat, he can't just go around killing criminals. Our job is to stop them. We have courts and laws that decide the punishment."

Natasha thought he was making a big deal over nothing as he continued. "Tell me; was it absolutely necessary to kill him? Couldn't Arno have knocked him out instead without anyone else getting hurt?" Natasha thought back to the moment Arno came through the ceiling. She was quick to defend her friend's decision. "Yes he could've. But Steve, if Arno didn't kill him there was a good chance I was going to." "That isn't the point. Arno needs to understand this isn't Revolutionary France. We can't just kill someone because they break the law." Natasha was getting angry at this point. "Dammit Steve! That man wanted to take me!"

Steve looked like he'd been thrown a curveball. "What?" Natasha explained everything the man said to her while pointing the gun at her. "Arno was in the air duct and heard everything. He killed that man because he was a monster. Arno knew it was only a matter of time before he was released from prison and back out on the street to hurt somebody else."

Steve finally nodded but didn't speak for a few seconds. "Well Arno and I will speak of this later. He needs to understand there's a way we handle these situations... I'm glad you're both safe." He silently returned to his punching bag. Natasha continued stretching not realizing Arno heard most of the conversation from the doorway as he was coming to train but walked away before anyone knew of his presence. He wanted to thank Natasha for defending him but didn't want her to know he'd been listening. He figured he would come back in a half hour so nobody would suspect his eavesdropping.

The day went on like a regular day of training. Arno and Natasha sparred and joked with each other as they tried to gain the upper hand. Steve watched them with interest. They moved gracefully together as they exchanged blows and moved around the mat completely focused on each other. Their matches often gained the attention of a few of the training Avengers but today every eye in the room was on the pair. There was something different today. They seemed more connected in their movements, like they had trained together for years. After a while both became exhausted. Unable to best the other, they left the mat in a mess of panting and sweat.

Arno spoke to some of the other Avengers as he walked over to Steve and started making small talk. He noticed Natasha watching them both from across the room and figured it was as good a time as any to have that talk with Steve. "I heard you and Natasha this morning." Steve looked at him like he wasn't surprised. "Do you have amplified hearing along with your other abilities? Not much seems to get past you."

Arno let out a chuckle before getting serious. "I'm not a murderer, Steve." Steve didn't hesitate. "I never said you were. I just think you could do things a little differently, with less death." Arno shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I received most of my training from the Assassins. They don't take prisoners. Once someone is marked as a target, there is no negotiating their pardon or deciding on a alternate punishment. That also applies to the members of the Brotherhood who break the Creed. I understand things are different now and I am willing to try things your way and maybe I can learn to approach things differently. But just know, I will kill to protect my friends. That, you cannot stop me from doing."

Arno turned and walked away without waiting for a response from Steve. Steve just watched him as he walked away and a theory was beginning to take root in his mind. Maybe he didn't kill that man because his training told him to, maybe he did it to protect Natasha. He respected him for sticking to his guns about his choice, and he appreciated him coming and talking to him instead of avoiding him like most would. He nodded to Natasha across the room to let her know everything was fine before he returned to his training.

Natasha went looking for Arno later that afternoon. She knocked on his door and heard someone walking around and the door opened. Arno had changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. She noticed how uncomfortable he looked and couldn't help but smile. "Still not used to modern clothes?" He returned a smile. "My previous clothes were modern in the time I wore them."

Natasha let out a chuckle. She seemed to do that quite a bit around him. "Steve invited us to the entertainment room to watch a movie. Care to accompany me?" Arno raised an eyebrow. "That's new." "What?" "I've learned of automobiles, guns, and the internet but what's a movie?" Natasha could not believe they hadn't explained movies to him. "They're like those performances people watch on stage back in your time but they're usually much more entertaining."

Arno gave a look of mock offense. "Excuse me, but our performances were adequate entertainment." She punched his arm and smiled. "Are you coming?" "Sure. Just let me get a coat." He disappeared and returned a moment later wearing a hoodie. They started walking down the hall and Natasha spoke up. "It's not cold." "I know, but I'm still not comfortable being around people in this thin fabric you call a shirt. I feel exposed." Her smile turned mischievous. "But you're comfortable feeling 'exposed' around me?" He couldn't help but smile back. He also couldn't stop his cheeks from blushing. She liked to make him nervous. Judging from his reactions, it must've been a while since he had flirted with a woman, if they did that sort of thing 200 years ago.

Natasha and Arno entered the entertainment area where they found Steve, Wanda, and Sam already sitting on the many pieces of furniture. Arno sat on the nearest couch and was very surprised when Natasha just sat right beside him without hesitation. Arno wouldn't have been so surprised if the couch wasn't so long. However, he didn't mind one bit. He liked having her nearby for some reason. She made him feel as if he belonged in this time more so than the time he was taken from.

Natasha looked to Steve. "Pick a good movie, this is Arno's first. No Star Wars!" She stated, rather than requested. Sam visibly looked disappointed but brushed it off.

Steve thought on it and smiled. "I think I know a good one. Arno have you ever been in prison?" Arno was caught off guard by the question. His mind briefly flashed back to the time he spent in the Bastille and the first time he met Bellec. He thought of the man that became his friend, then his brother, then his enemy. He was brought back to the present when Natasha elbowed him in the ribs to get his attention. "Yes, for a few months but I escaped."

Steve was surprised at the answer to his question that was mostly a joke but didn't let it show. "Well in that case, this movie will be perfect for you. It's called the Shawshank Redemption." Wanda looked to Arno. "What were you locked up for?" Arno was prepared for this question. "I got drunk and started a fight." He lied, figuring they would expect him to commit that sort of crime but not everyone bought it.

Natasha saw right through his lie, but decided to not mention it in front of the others. If he didn't tell them the truth, he had a reason but she would not be lied to. They began the movie and it didn't take long before Arno was mesmerized by the quality of the images, music, and story. The prison system didn't seem too different from what Arno knew; corrupt guards and officials, prisoners becoming brothers, and having to fight to survive.

He tried not to compare his time at the Bastille to the movie, but he found his mind doing that very thing. He found that his story was quite similar to Andy's; they were both arrested for a murder they didn't commit, they both made a friend in prison that greatly impacted their lives in prison and after they escaped. Arno was glad he and Andy differed in the manner that they escaped, because he wasn't sure whether escaping would be worth crawling through a sewer.

Shortly after, Red said something that struck Arno to the core. "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Arno pondered those words for a few minutes. He thought of Elise for some reason. Not the Elise he once knew, but the woman that was consumed by anger and a lust for vengeance. They finished the movie and everyone enjoyed it.

By the end of it Natasha had scooted a little closer to Arno, only because she knew he was too caught up in the movie to notice. She didn't know why but she was just glad he was there. They had gotten close over the weeks and she considered him a good friend. They all spoke their 'goodnights' and parted ways.

Arno walked back to his room and Natasha was with him. They reached her room first, but she wasn't ready to part ways yet. "Arno, would like to come in and sit for a minute?"

He had a look that said he was unsure about the nature of her invite so she reassured him. "I just want to talk." He seemed to settle a little. "Of course."

Why did she make him so nervous? He followed her into her room and she gestured to the couch for him to sit. She sat at the opposite end of the couch and looked him directly in the eye. "Why did you lie?" "Pardon me?" "Why'd you lie about what you were arrested for?"

Arno broke eye contact and looked at the floor. "I wanted to tell you the truth, but not them." "Why me and not them?" "Because I'm not sure they would understand." He took a second and figured he might as well tell the truth while he had a chance so he looked her in the eye. "I was arrested for killing Monsieur De La Serre." Her face was unreadable. She looked so cold and calculating.

This wasn't the Natasha he had come to know. "Did you kill him?" "I didn't wield the blade... but I was responsible." Regret fell over his face as he returned his gaze to the floor. "I was given a letter to deliver to him that could have saved his life. I failed to deliver it."

Arno relived the second worst moment of his life as he explained to Natasha how he snuck into the palace to spend the evening with Elise but as he was leaving he saw Monsieur De La Serre in the courtyard. He ran to him but he was already dead and he heard someone shout for the guards. He was then arrested for a murder he didn't commit.

Through this entire story, he did not look her in the eyes, only at the floor. He was afraid he would see the same disappointment and judgement in her eyes that he saw in Elise's eyes when she showed him the letter intended for her father. After a few seconds he felt a hand on his shoulder and he finally summoned the strength to look at her.

He no longer saw the cold and calculating woman that occupied that seat moments ago, he saw Natasha. When Arno first met Natasha, all he could see was Elise in her eyes. Now, he no longer saw Elise. He saw her for who she is, Natasha. Her face only displayed understanding and compassion. "I'm sorry you went through that. You cared about them very much. What of Elise?" She softly spoke.

"In a way, she blamed me for what happened. It was after she turned me away that I joined the Assassins." Natasha wasn't sure why she felt the way she did, or why she was comforting him. This wasn't her. She was the deadly Black Widow; she didn't talk to people about their emotions and problems.

For some reason she felt normal doing this. "Remember when I said I was trained in the Red Room?" Arno looked surprised that she brought it up because the last time they spoke of it, she got angry at him for asking about it. "Yes." Now Natasha broke eye contact and looked at the farthest wall across the room.

"They kidnap children when they're very young and spend years training and warping them into killers. The training they put them through… most of them don't survive." Arno spoke up quick. "Natasha, you don't have to talk about it." "No, it's fine."

She had told very few people of what she went through but Arno had just shared something painful from his past. She figured it was only fair that she returned the gesture. "I had to kill people that I considered friends. I killed them because if I didn't, they would kill me, or the overseers would kill all of us."

Arno looked into her eyes but it was like she was in another place. Her expression held only painful memories and scars. "One of the girls had been in the program with me almost since the beginning. We helped each other stay alive. We kept each other strong when one of us wanted to give up… One day, they ordered us to fight to the death or they would kill both of us… so I slit her throat…" Arno sat there speechless. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling.

After a few seconds she slowly turned to look at him. Their eyes met but they didn't say a word. Arno placed his hand on hers slowly to not alarm her. They sat for a few more seconds before Arno broke the silence. "Thank you." Natasha's emotionless face came alive with surprise. "For what?" "For trusting me enough to talk with me. I understand if you don't completely trust me yet, but that's a good start."

Natasha then saw what made Arno different from the few others that she shared parts of her past with. His main focus wasn't what she told him, he focused on the fact that she told him. He didn't let the story affect what he thought of her. He simply appreciated that she trusted him enough to share it with him. She smiled a soft smile at him. Arno then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Natasha returned the kiss without hesitation. She wrapped an arm around his neck and he brought his hand up to her cheek as they continued to kiss. Soon Natasha remembered something Arno spoke to her the first day they met. "You look just like her."

With that thought Natasha pushed him away almost making him fall off the couch. "I think you should leave, Arno." He looked so confused at her sudden change of attitude but from the look on her face, she was confused as well. "What is it? Did I do something?" Her eyes glared at him. "Just go." Not wanting to upset her any more, he walked to her door. As he opened it, he turned to look at her once more. She wouldn't look at him and just kept her eyes on the wall. "I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry." He stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. What could've made her do that?

He went back to his room and had trouble getting to sleep. In that moment he wished he hadn't kissed her. He decided he would no longer think of her in that way. That maybe they could remain friends. He would rather have her as a friend than not at all. Once he was asleep he had one of the nights he hadn't had since he arrived in this time.

 _He was back in the Temple. He was pinned beneath the rubble that had fallen on him. He could hear swords hitting nearby. It took a few seconds but he was able to push the rubble off of him. He then saw Germain's sword flashing with lightening. Elise just stood there in shock. Arno ran as fast as his legs would carry him but like all the other times he suffered through this moment, he was too slow. The sword exploded and when the smoke cleared he saw Elise on the floor. He ran to her but she was gone. He turned to Germain as he lay on the floor bleeding and struggling to get away. Arno knelt beside him and slowly slid his hidden blade into his throat._

 _He then felt himself being pulled into Germain's memories. All the other times he had this dream, Arno would have to listen to Germain explain himself and frankly, he was getting tired of it. He prepared for the long speech but it never came. After a few seconds he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in years. A voice that made his heart jump into his throat as she spoke his name. "Arno." He turned and saw her. He saw Elise. She looked into his eyes and he took a couple steps toward her. "How?" She giggled. "Oh, I'm the strangest thing you've seen all day?" "But how are you here?" "I just am, Arno."_

 _She smiled and closed the distance between them. He reached up and placed a hand on her cheek. "I've missed you." "I've missed you too, but I'm no longer here." "What?" His voice filled with confusion as he removed his hand from her cheek._

 _"It's been a long time. You have to move on." Arno was punched by her words. "I've tried, Elise. It's not that simple." Elise just raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Really? That's your excuse? You kissed another woman and now you decide to abandon your pursuit of her because she had a moment of confusion?" Arno didn't hesitate. "I'm not pursuing her." Elise wasn't buying it. "The way you look at her, the way you fight with her, the way you talk to her. I know you, Arno. You can't fool me." Arno's eyes fell to the floor. "I... I care about her." He admitted his feelings and Elise smiled. "Then go to her. Clear the air between you two."_

 _Arno just looked back into her eyes. "Elise, I'm sorry. For everything." Elise placed both her hands on Arno's cheeks as a tear fell from her eyes. "I will always love you, Arno. But you have to live your life. You can't remain in the past forever." She stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye, my love." With that, she turned and walked away. It took everything within Arno to watch her go and not chase her, but he knew it would do no good. He watched her back slowly disappear into the dark as he heard her voice echo one word. "Goodbye."_

 **Did you catch the Halo 4 reference I threw in there? :) This is probably my favorite chapter yet. Arno and Natasha are getting closer to each other and he has finally let go of Elise (emotionally). I hate to make Arno let go... I didn't want her to die but that's the hand we're dealt. Please let me know what you think of this chapter :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Annnnnnd I'm back folks! The semester's getting busy so I haven't had time to work on the update. I want to thank all that have favorited and followed this story. Enjoy! :)_**

Chapter 6: Breakfast & Advice

Natasha hardly slept at all. The events of the previous night kept repeating in her mind and she kept asking herself the same question. 'What are you doing Natasha? You only remind him of his lost love.' She was angry with herself for being vulnerable in that moment but couldn't figure out if she was right about Arno. He told her in the beginning that when he looked at her, he saw Elise. Was that still the case? Was that the reason for his interest in her? She stayed lost in her thoughts and before she knew it, the sun was beginning to shine through the blinds of her windows.

She figured there wasn't much of a chance she'd be getting any sleep so she got dressed and went to the kitchen. Steve sat at the table and noticed Natasha walk in but she didn't notice him. "Morning, Nat." Steve could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen Natasha flinch at anything; this was one of those times. She barely flinched but it was enough for him to notice. "Morning, Steve." Steve brought his eyebrows together out of curiosity. Where was her mind at? "Everything okay?"

She didn't look up from the counter where she was fixing an omelet. "Yeah. Why?" "Because you look like you haven't slept any."

Natasha did her best to hide her sleep deprived eyes but Steve must've noticed before. She silently finished her omelet and sat across from Steve but didn't touch her food. "Steve, can I ask you something personal?" "Umm, sure." "When you're with Sharon, does she ever remind you of Peggy?"

Steve's eyes got wide for a split second before he put on the best lying face he could. "Sharon? Who-" "Don't lie to me Steve, I've seen you peeking at your phone to text her. And the way you two look at each other is so obvious."

Steve knew he'd been caught and should've known better than to try to hide it from Natasha but he thought on what she said before answering her. "When we first met, yes. Every time I looked at her, I saw the same fire in her eyes that I once saw in Peggy's."

This was the answer Natasha feared, she was so absorbed in her thoughts she almost didn't hear Steve continue. "But after some time, I stopped seeing the things that reminded me of Peggy and started seeing the things that made me think Sharon. Why do you ask?"

Natasha debated on lying about what happened between her and Arno but finally figured Steve deserved the truth. "Last night, Arno and I had a very personal talk. Then he kissed me."

Steve's eyes went wide with shock and fear. "You didn't kill him, did you?" "No I didn't. Not yet, at least." Steve relaxed a little. She had been so emotionally closed off since Bruce bailed on her and the team. "Well what'd you do?"

Natasha looked down at her food she hadn't even taken a bite of yet. "I returned the kiss but then I pushed him away." Now Steve was curious. "Why? Did he do something?"

He knew Arno must've kept his hands to himself or Natasha would be asking his help getting rid of Arno's body. "I remembered something he told me the first day he was here. After I found him in the woods we got back here and he told me that I look just like Elise, his old flame."

Steve nodded his head in understanding. Now he understood why Natasha looked so exhausted and why she asked about him and Sharon. "So you think Arno's only interested in you because you remind him of a woman he used to love." He stated rather than questioned.

Natasha looked up from her plate into Steve's eyes. "Natasha, do you realize how silly that sounds? You and Arno have gotten pretty close these last few weeks. I have no doubt that he's interested in you."

Natasha broke eye contact as she picked up her fork and took the first bite of her now cold omelet. How long had they been sitting there? "Maybe you're right." "Did you talk to Arno?" Natasha's eyes moved back to Steve's. "Well… No. I sort of made him leave after I pushed him away."

Steve rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Smooth, Romanoff. Real smooth." "Well what was I supposed to do? Ask if he only likes me because I look like his ex?" "Well you should go talk to him." Natasha didn't respond and continued to eat her omelet until she couldn't take any more of the cold food.

She stood up and spoke in a flat voice. "Thanks, Steve." He grinned back. "You're welcome." Natasha disposed of her remaining food and left the room to figure out her next step. She walked back to her room and sat on her couch. Although it was morning, she hadn't had any sleep and her talk with Steve had somewhat put her mind at ease. She laid her head on the arm of the couch and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Arno awoke from his dream and looked at his clock. It was only 8 in the morning. He slowly dressed as he somewhat dreaded facing Natasha today. He figured she was angry at him for kissing her and would put extra effort into making his training miserable and painful today. He walked into the kitchen and started pouring himself a cup of coffee. He nearly dropped the mug when he heard a voice behind him. "Morning, Arno." He turned to see Steve sitting with a newspaper and looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Morning, Steve." Arno returned to fixing his coffee and thought he heard Steve whisper something under his breath. "I'm just scaring everybody today."

Arno fixed his coffee and took a seat across from Steve. He sat his newspaper aside and picked up his own mug. "How are you today?" "I'm fine, thanks. Not really looking forward to training." "Why not? We usually have fun."

Arno looked around the kitchen as if he were checking if they were alone before turning back to Steve and speaking quietly. "I think Natasha is angry with me." Steve looked confused. "Why would she be?"

Arno looked down at the mug in his hands and took a deep breath before speaking barely above a whisper. "Well… I kissed her last night." Steve gave a fake look of surprise before grinning. "Well you're still alive. I'd call that a win, pal." Arno looked into Steve's eyes. "She seemed fine with it at first and then she just pushed me away and told me to leave. She never said why."

Steve just nodded and thought about the conversation he had with Natasha not 20 minutes before Arno showed up in the kitchen. "Well Arno, have you seen her this morning?" "No. What should I say? That I'm sorry for kissing her?"

Steve's eyes went wide. "No, No, No. Maybe you should talk to her and find out why she reacted the way she did before you make any assumptions or apologize for what you THINK is bothering her. Natasha is the most unpredictable person I've ever met, so you might be completely wrong."

Arno nodded his head as he finished his coffee. They sat in silence before Arno spoke up with a slight grin. "Do you have a girl, Steve? I noticed the way you look at that Sharon woman."

Steve internally punched himself. Did everyone know about them?! If Tony found out, he'd never hear the end of it. "We've been on a couple dates. She's quite a lady."

Arno let out a laugh. "Well it was interesting watching that 'lady' kick Sam's ass on the mat yesterday." They both shared a laugh. Sam was hitting on her and before he knew it, he was flat on his back. "Is she training to be an Avenger too?" "No, she works for the CIA now. She's the liaison for the CIA and Avengers." Arno nodded. "Does everyone know about your relationship?" "Apparently, we make it obvious. Sam doesn't know, or else he wouldn't have hit on her." Arno laughed again. They sat in silence before Arno decided he might as well face the music.

He told Steve he'd see him later and proceeded to the training area where he thought he would find Natasha. He found Wanda, Sam, and Vision there. Rhodey was helping Tony on a "secret" project at Avenger's Tower. He walked over to them and they were talking about the possibility of going on their first mission soon. They had been training for a while and felt they were ready.

After a few minutes Sam pulled out his phone and answered it. After a couple seconds his eyes got wide and he walked quickly into the base without saying a word to any of them. Arno waited a few minutes and decided to check on Sam. He walked into the base and it didn't take long before he found Sam. He was in the gear room with Steve and they were geared up like they were getting ready for a fight. "What's going on?"

Steve and Sam hadn't seen Arno enter the room and looked at him like they'd be caught. Steve looked to Sam and then back to Arno. "We've got a mission."

Arno took a couple steps into the room. "What kind of mission?" Sam looked at Arno like he'd asked a question he shouldn't have. "The secret kind." "I can help if you need backup."

Steve looked to Sam like they were trying to make a decision. Finally Sam nodded to Steve, and Steve turned to Arno and walked up to him. He spoke quietly like he was telling a secret. "We found Bucky. We're going to get him. You sure you want in?"

Arno didn't hesitate. "When do we leave?" "Now. Get any gear you need." Arno nodded and went to his locker. He retrieved his Assassin hood, hidden blades, and a pair of Glocks that had been given to him by Natasha. Natasha. Arno had forgotten that he was going to talk to her, but now he's leaving for he doesn't know how long.

He should at least leave a note. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a quick note for her. He stuck it to her locker, grabbed his gear, and followed the Captain and Sam to the quinjet. They wasted no time getting off the ground and heading away from the base faster than Arno was comfortable with. He thought he might get sick, but he didn't. This thing was much different from the Montgolfière.

Natasha woke in the same place she'd fell asleep. She looked at her clock and realized she was late for training. She dressed and walked to the training area but the only people there were Wanda and Vision. Natasha walked up to them. "Where is everybody?"

Wanda shrugged her shoulders. "We don't know. Arno and Sam were here a half hour ago, Sam answered his phone and went inside. Arno went to check on him and we haven't seen either of them since." "Have you seen Steve?" "No but we did hear the quinjet take off though. I think they took it. They didn't tell us where they were going." Natasha was confused and angry. What was so important that Steve would take Sam and Arno? She went to the locker room to see if they took any gear. If they took any gear, it meant they were on a mission. Steve's shield, Sam's suit, and several weapons were missing and she found a note stuck to her locker.

 _Natasha, I'm helping Steve and Sam with an errand, I'm not sure how long it'll take. I would like to speak with you when we return. -A_

Steve was a dead man, she just couldn't decide what for; for taking off without telling her what was going on or for dragging Arno along. Either way, he was in for it when he got back. For now, all she could really do was train the only two Avengers remaining on base. But first she needed to make a call to Tony. She picked up her phone and dialed him. It rang a few times before she got an answer. "And to what do I owe the pleasure, Ms. Romanoff? Need help hiding a body? Or maybe lie in court?" "Cut the crap, Stark. How's are things progressing?"

She heard him scoff on the other end. "So ungrateful. Having Rhodey to help has sped things up, but neither of us has seen anything like this. We're making breakthroughs so we may be done by the end of the month but don't hold me to it." "Good. Keep me posted." She hung up and left the room to go train Wanda and Vision. They had wasted enough of the day already.

 **I know :P I wanted Natasha and Arno to clear the air but I couldn't help but build up to it a little. Midterms are coming up and I'm loaded down with lab reports (Side effect of being an Engineering Undergrad)… All this being said, it may be spring break before I update again. Please leave a review on what you thought of this chapter** **J**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well I'm back! Sorry it took so long to update. Classes have been busy and I got hit with a bad case of writer's block. However, I'm pretty satisfied with the way this chapter turned out. Hope you enjoy it :) Please leave a review! I appreciate your patience and any feedback!**

Chapter 7: Complications

Steve would usually tell Natasha the details of his missions, or at least that he had a mission. He knew he'd be facing some hard questions when he got back but right now he had to focus on the task at hand. Sam had received information that Bucky had been captured by Hydra and they were planning to wipe his memory so he would be their assassin once again.

They were running out of time but luckily, they had the coordinates to where he was being held. It was a small compound in the Alaskan wilderness. Steve briefed Arno on Bucky and their current situation while Sam piloted. Arno had only heard of Bucky being Steve's best friend but something was wrong with him so they were trying to find him. Now he knew the whole story and frankly, he was shocked. And he thought his Assassin life was complicated…

There was no way they'd be able to approach the compound in broad daylight. It'd probably be best to wait until night but it couldn't hurt to scout ahead just to get an idea of what they were up against.

Natasha was getting impatient waiting for Steve, Sam, and Arno to get back. She told Wanda and Vision to take the afternoon off. Vision was reading a book somewhere and Wanda was sitting with Natasha on the roof of the base. She had been having a difficult time adjusting to life with the Avengers. For the longest time, it had just been her and Pietro.

After he died, she didn't have a clue where she would go or what she would do. After everything she had done, she was shocked when they offered her a place with the Avengers. She came to think of them as her good friends, which is definitely what she needed. She finally broke the silence. "Did they say where they were going?"

"No. It's not like Steve to run off without checking in. If nothing else, just so I can be on standby in case he needs backup." "Think they're in trouble?"

Natasha didn't want to think they were but the sun had set an hour ago and she couldn't help but worry a little. "I don't know, but they're capable of handling a situation. Whatever it is they're doing, I'm sure they're fine."

Wanda looked up at the starry night sky. "So… What's happening with you and Arno?"

Natasha's head jerked around like she'd been slapped and glared at Wanda. Wanda met her eyes but only giggled. "Oh c'mon. I saw the way you were scooting up to him on the couch last night."

Natasha broke her gaze and looked at the stars. "I'm not sure. We're going to talk about it when he gets back."

"He seems like a nice guy. He looks lost sometimes but that's understandable, given what he's been through." Natasha barely paid her any attention as she thought back to the kiss her and Arno shared and how she made him leave.

They continued making small talk but soon they were both getting tired. Natasha decided to call it a night but Wanda decided to stay up so she bid her a good night and left her on the roof. After she got back to her room, she couldn't fall asleep. Her worry was keeping her up. In the early hours of the morning she finally managed to doze off. It didn't last long though.

She awoke to the sound of someone shouting her name. Natasha took a split second to realize it was early morning and the voice was Wanda. She shot out of her bed and darted out of her room to find Wanda in the hall.

"Wanda, What's going on?" Wanda had been running to find her and was out of breath. "They're back! Steve radioed in and called for a medic to the landing pad!" Natasha sprinted past her and out the door. After running through the maze of halls, she finally reached the exit door that led to the pad.

She burst through the door and was met by a group of medics rolling Sam past her through the door on a gurney. His leg and shoulder were covered in blood and wrapped in bandages. She moved to let them pass and ran to the quinjet where she was met by Steve walking down the ramp. Arno was nowhere to be seen.

 _They landed the quinjet about two miles from the compound. Sam was getting gear together while Arno and Steve went to scout out the compound. Arno wanted to go by himself because he was stealthy but Steve was a strategist. He could look at the area and decide on the best plan of attack._

 _Despite the heavy snow and the thick brush of the forest, they reached the edge of a tree line overlooking the Hydra compound. It was comprised of three buildings made of solid concrete, like bunkers. The first building was three stories and had a connecting hallway to each of the other two buildings. The second building had a radio antenna on the roof and some generators beside it. It was pretty obvious that it was the communications building. The last building had garage doors on one side and a helipad on the roof. Steve assumed that it was the motor pool._

 _The entire area was surrounded by a ten foot fence and was being patrolled by three groups of two guards and an attack dog. Overall, it was a tough nut to crack but it was doable. Steve was suddenly glad he'd allowed Arno to tag along on this mission. "Arno, do you think you could disable the building with the antenna and shut down the generators?"_

 _Arno observed the area and the patrol patterns of the guards. He figured he could cut through the north fence and be a short run from the building, if he didn't get spotted. "Yeah, I think so. What are you and Sam going to do?"_

 _"Well the other building looks like nothing more than a garage, so Sam will infiltrate that building to keep any guards from going for reinforcements. I'll go in the other building and find Bucky. Besides, Bucky doesn't know you or Sam and would probably attack you. So it might be best if you both were somewhere else."_

 _Arno was not comforted at all by his words. Soon, they were joined by Sam and the plan was put into motion. Sam went with Arno and they had no problems cutting through the fence. They tied the wire back so the guards wouldn't notice it had been cut. They ran across the courtyard avoiding the searchlights. They reached the communication room first._

 _Sam continued on to the garage and Arno climbed to the top of the building. Steve had briefly explained how he could disable the tower. He waited 10 minutes like Steve had ordered and started cutting every wire he could find. After that, he jumped down to the ground as the guard was coming to check on the antenna. Arno slipped up behind him and choked him out. He drug the unconscious man back inside and shut the door after checking for anymore guards._

 _He went to the generators where he found a kill switch. As he was about to flip the switch he heard gunfire from inside the building Steve was inside. Sensing the urgency of the situation, he reached into his pouch and found a grenade that Steve had given to him._

 _He pulled the pin and dropped it between the generators. He sprinted around the corner as an explosion shook the ground and every light in the compound went dark. He ran for the building that Steve went in and found six guards waiting for him. He shot and sliced his way through them with ease. He continued into the building, passing unconscious Hydra agents that Steve had dealt with._

 _He found Steve on the top floor fighting 7 Hydra agents in full gear. He was holding his own but was getting exhausted. Arno assisted him in the fight and it was over quick. "Did you find him?" "No, he isn't here. It was a trap. We need to find Sam and get out of here."_

 _Arno and Steve exited the building where they found Sam pinned down by machine gun fire. Steve shouted for Sam to fly out with Arno and he would meet them at the jet. Sam nodded but as he moved from cover a bullet hit him in the leg. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain as blood poured out of his wound._

 _Steve ran ahead to deal with the agents while Arno helped Sam to his feet. "Can you walk?" "Barely. Need to slow the bleeding or I'll pass out." They moved around the corner and Arno ripped a strip of cloth from his shirt and wrapped the wound to hopefully slow down the bleeding._

 _Then Sam grabbed Arno's arm and activated his falcon wings. "Hold on!" Arno held on tight as they both lifted off the ground. Arno looked down to see Steve fight his way through the guards and disappear into the woods heading for the jet. As they reached about thirty feet, a bullet whizzed past Arno and hit Sam in the shoulder._

 _The intense pain caused him to lose his grip on Arno's arm and Arno began to fall. Before Sam could dive to catch him, he was already on the ground. He wasn't moving and was surrounded by at least 20 hydra agents. "Oh God…" Sam knew going after him would mean his own death with his wounds._

 _He flew to the jet as fast as possible to get Steve to help save Arno. He arrived to find Steve with cuts and a wound where a bullet grazed his arm. "Steve! I got hit in the shoulder and dropped Arno! If he's alive, they've got him!"_

 _Steve cursed under his breath as he sprinted through the forest back to the compound. He reached the compound quicker than he expected to. He arrived just in time to find the guards loading Arno into a convoy of three SUVs. As he started sprinting toward them, the last guard hopped in and drove through the gate. He knew he was too exhausted to keep up with the convoy in the snow._

 _So he reached into his belt and found a magnetic tracker. He pressed the button and threw it at the last SUV that held Arno. If he couldn't save him now, at least they would hopefully be able to find him. He ran after them for almost a mile but it was as he feared, he couldn't keep up._

 _He returned to the compound where Sam had landed the quinjet in the courtyard and was bleeding out in the pilot seat. Steve knew if he didn't get a medic soon, he would die. "I'm sorry, Arno." He pulled Sam out of the pilot seat and set an auto pilot course for Avenger's HQ. As they flew, he bandaged Sam's shoulder and changed the bloody rag on his leg._

 _He seemed to have stopped the bleeding for now but Sam looked really weak from the blood loss. Steve had done all he could for him, given his limited experience with battle wounds. He sent out a distress call to Avenger's HQ for a medic at the landing pad._

 _He checked the tracker he'd stuck to the SUV and found it had stopped in a small town near Kodiak. He would head straight there after he got Sam back to the HQ. One problem at a time._

Natasha looked frantically for Arno inside the quinjet but didn't see him. "Steve, what's going on?! Where's Arno?!" Steve looked so exhausted and angry. "Hydra has him. I'm going after him but I had to get Sam back here before he bled out." One of the medics suggested bandaging his arm before heading back out so Steve walked into the base to get some bandages.

Natasha wasn't about to wait around. She ran to the blood soaked pilot's seat and pressed a few buttons on the GPS. "Alaska, huh?" She ran back into the base to grab her guns and knives. She ran into Wanda on the way to her locker. "Think you're ready for your first mission?" Having heard what happened, Wanda figured Natasha would go after Arno with or without her help. "Yeah, I'm in." "Bring a coat, it'll be cold." Wanda nodded and went to her room.

Natasha got her gear and ran to another landing pad where another jet was parked with a full fuel tank. Natasha sat in the pilot's seat as Wanda sprinted up the ramp to join her. "Do we know where he is?" "Alaska. Buckle in." Wanda barely had the strap secured before she felt the thrust of the jet as it sped off.

After a few minutes the radio beeped. Steve could be heard on the other end. "Nat, what are you doing?" "You guys were taking too long. I'm going after Arno." "Nat, you can't do this alone." "I'm not alone. I've got Wanda." Steve sounded worried. "Nat, you two ca-" "The only incentive I have to not shut off this radio, is that you use it to explain to me what's going on!" There was silence on the other end for several seconds. "Ok.." Steve then proceeded to explain that they'd been given false information to where Hydra was keeping Bucky and that Arno was captured while they were trying to get also gave her the location of the place they suspected Arno was being held. After checking the coordinates with satellite imaging, it turned out to be a large warehouse. "You should've told me, Steve. I could've helped." "Would you have helped? Even after what Bucky did to you, you'd still help me save him?" "Yes! Because that's what friends do! Now if you're going to help us save Arno, get another jet and catch up!"

Arno started to gain consciousness and was immediately met with pain. As his vision started to clear up and his ears quit ringing, he realized he was tied to a chair. Then he remembered the events leading up to his current predicament. From a quick assessment of himself, he determined that his shoulder was dislocated and his leg hurt the worst. He looked around the room until he noticed a man leaning against the opposite wall watching him.

He was about 6 feet tall with dark hair. He noticed that Arno was awake, pushed off the wall and walked to the middle of the room. "So we set a trap for Captain America, and all we got was you. A lot of effort for a stranger in a hood." He started pacing in front of Arno with a sense of arrogance and authority.

"It's interesting though. Of all the Avengers that fell into our trap, you're the only one I've never heard of." He stopped pacing and faced Arno. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Grant Ward. And you are?"

Arno decided to play along with this prick. "Arno." The man seemed surprised that he'd gotten a name so easily. "Tell me Arno, what are you doing with the Avenger's? Are you a new recruit?" Arno just put on a smirk. "I'm not really one to follow orders. Always had issues with authority."

Grant smiled. "I could understand that. I always had the same issue, that's why I chose to be the one with all the authority."

Already Arno didn't like this guy. "Is that all? You became the head of Hydra just because you didn't like being told what to do? I think there's more to it than that Monsieur Ward."

"'Monsieur'? So you're French? Where in France? I spent some time in Paris." Arno saw what this guy was doing. Trying to gather information by making what appeared to be casual conversation.

Well if it was information he wanted, so be it. "I'm originally from Paris but I had to leave under unfortunate circumstances that were entirely beyond my control." Arno made the last part of the statement sound somewhat sinister but this seemed to pique Grant's interest.

"I killed about 30 agents that worked for a secret organization, self defense of course." Grant nodded. "Of course. Do you know the name of the organization?" "No. Didn't matter much to me."

Arno could spin these lies all day. Figuring it would give someone enough time to find him. Grant smiled an evil looking smile. "I like you, Arno. I just have one more question. You ever eat at the Café de Paris on Rue de Charonne?" Well that café had been built sometime in the last 250 years. Obviously Arno had never heard of it but decided to play along. "Yes. They have the best pastries."

Grant just nodded. "Now that I think about it, it's actually on the Rue de Buci. So what else are you lying about?" Well Arno knew he'd been caught lying and it'd be more difficult to get this guy to believe anything.

Grant decided to keep asking questions. "Why did you assist the Avengers in the attack that got you here?" Arno decided to test this guy's French skills. "Parce que je veux te tuer."

Arno realized that Grant was fluent in French when he felt a fist connect with his jaw. Between the blurry vision and ringing ears, Arno figured he might as well try to get some information. "What did you do with Bucky?"

Ward laughed. "You really think we could catch that crazy bastard? I sent out several of my best agents to kill him and he sent them back in buckets. So I figured if I could capture the Captain, I could lure him out and finally put a bullet in his head and that brought us to where we are now, Arno."

He stood before Arno with his arms crossed. "You look like the type that can withstand torture so I'm not even going that route. You can tell me what I want to know or I can shoot you in the head and move on to the next Avenger I capture. Now where is the Avenger's base of operations?"

Arno remained silent. "You think I'm joking?" *Bang* Arno felt a sharp pain in his leg. "I've got all day." Blood poured from the wound below Arno's knee. Not the first time he'd been shot but that didn't keep it from hurting. He gritted his teeth and took several breaths.

He didn't say anything. "Ok, well I don't have time for this." He pointed the barrel at Arno's head and rested his finger on the trigger. Before he could pull it, gunfire and explosions could be heard from outside the room. "Well, looks like we're out of time." He looked from the door to Arno. "I could kill you but then I'll have every Avenger out for blood looking for me. So today's your lucky day, Arno." Ward pointed the muzzle of his pistol at Arno's other leg and fired. Arno let out a pained scream.

Ward went to the door that was opposite all the fighting and left before any Avenger could show up. Arno was struggling to get free from his chair. He was losing a lot of blood.

As his vision started getting blurry, he saw the door in front of him glow red before it was ripped from its hinges. He immediately saw Wanda and Natasha. Wanda checked the rest of the room while Natasha ran to Arno's side. "Arno! It's okay, we're gonna get you out of here! Wanda, lets go!" Natasha cut Arno's ties and lifted his arm over her shoulders.

They walked out of the warehouse and across the street where they had cloaked the quinjet behind a large billboard to keep it out of sight from the warehouse. They went up the ramp and Natasha put Arno on a table. "Get us in the air and set the autopilot course for HQ, then come help me." Wanda wasn't a pilot but she'd been taught the basics to help her in emergency situations. Natasha was too busy trying to hold Arno down and check for an exit wound on his leg. One bullet went all the way through one leg but the other didn't.

Wanda set the autopilot and rushed to the table where Natasha had already cut the leg of Arno's pants so she could get to the wound and dig out the bullet. "I need you to hold him down." She already had some clamps in her hand. Wanda pressed down on Arno's shoulders as Natasha started digging into his leg. He barely moved, which surprised Natasha. Within seconds, she'd gotten the bullet out.

Then she started dressing and wrapping the wound to stop the bleeding. Arno had a pulse but was starting to turn pale. Natasha had done all she could and the hour and a half ride back felt like 5 hours. Arno was unconcious and was taken to the medical bay as soon as the jet was on the ground. Natasha never left his side.

Steve was on his way to Alaska in another jet but when he heard Natasha had Arno, he returned to base to make sure the doctors were ready as soon as they landed. Steve and Natasha both stood in the hall looking through a window at the doctor and nurse as they patched up Arno's cuts and bruises.

"How's Sam?" "He's fine. He's weak from the blood loss but he just needs time to heal." They look through the window at Arno. His leg was wrapped in a bandage and the fractured leg was in a cast. His shoulder was in a sling from where it had been put back into socket. He was still unconscious and Steve was eaten up by guilt. "I should never have taken them… I should've known it was a trap."

"There's nothing we can do about that now. But the next time you go on a mission like that again and take two of the recruits, you better hope you don't make it back alive." Steve hoped she didn't mean that. It had been a long day and everyone was exhausted. Wanda, Sam, and Vision had already went to sleep.

Steve figured there was nothing else they could do for Arno now. They just needed to let his body heal. "I'm gonna get some rest. You should too." Natasha wasn't going anywhere. "I'm gonna stay a little longer."

Steve nodded and walked away. Natasha must have stood there for about an hour or so before she saw Arno start to move. She walked into the room and stood at his side. "How do you feel?" Arno seemed a little dazed but he looked up at her and smiled. "Not bad. Can't feel much of anything."

"That's the pain medicine. You've got a fractured tibia and a bullet wound but it's stable and should heal quickly. Your shoulder was dislocated and you got shot in the other leg too." He just chuckled. "In other words, I won't be of much help for a short time."

Natasha chuckled and sat in a nearby chair. "Is Sam alright?" "Yeah, he'll be fine." "Good. He tried to fly me out of there but got shot." Things were silent for about a minute before Arno spoke up. "Natasha, I want to talk about what happened the other night." Natasha had been so caught up with his injuries that she'd momentarily forgotten about what'd happened. "What about it?"

He seemed like he was having trouble asking a question. "What'd I do that made you react that way? Whatever it was, I'm sorry."

She thought on her answer for a moment. "I remembered what you said to me the first day we met."

The look on Arno's face showed he obviously didn't know what she was talking about so she filled in the blank. "You told me I remind you of Elise."

Arno immediately knew what she was talking about. "I'm sorry." "For what? For telling me that or for kissing me?" She had a hint of accusation in her voice.

"For telling you that. Natasha, you don't remind me of Elise." "Then why'd you say I did?" "Because I saw her everywhere I went. For years after she died, her memory still haunted me. I felt guilt for what I had done and what I couldn't do." "What changed?"

He was silent for a moment but finally looked her in the eyes. "I met you." Natasha wasn't expecting that. "I don't carry that burden anymore." Arno reached out any put his hand over her's.

He was glad when she didn't pull her hand away. "Natasha, I see you for who you are. I don't care what you've done. You're a good person and I hope I didn't ruin things between us with my foolish words."

Natasha couldn't find words. She was glad that cloud of awkwardness had been lifted but now she wasn't sure of where to go from here. All she knew was that she cared about him. She couldn't help the smile that came across her face. "It's fine, Arno."

He returned her smile. "You look like you could use some rest." "Well it's been a long day." He chuckled. "Go get some rest Natasha. I'll still be here in the morning."

She was happy he said that because she was so exhausted. She got up to leave but before she could walk out the door she heard him call to her. "Natasha." She turned to look at him. He was grinning through half open eyes. "Thank you." His eyes slowly began to close. She smiled back. "My pleasure."

She walked back to her room and in no time, she was in her bed. She kept asking herself where do they go from here? She finally decided they would figure it out in due time. It wasn't long before she fell into the most peaceful sleep she'd had in a long time.

 **Hope you enjoyed the update, it's been overdue for a while. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and I'll try to update soon. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I would like to apoligize for my absence. Computer issues for the last few months or so have prevented me from uploading, or for that matter, working on the update. I would also like to thank all who have favorited and followed this story, and for your patience. I understand how irritating it is to wait so long for an update (but the bright side is I didn't leave on a cliffhanger). Now that Arno and Natasha are a couple, I would like to point out that I won't be writing any smut or inappropriate references. I just feel creativity is more entertaining than profanity. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy the overdue update!**

Chapter 8: Induction

To say Arno's recovery seemed to go slowly would be absolutely correct. The constant x-rays, checkups, and doctors telling him things he didn't understand or care about was taking a toll. All he wanted to know was one thing: when can I get back to training?

It had been four weeks since he began recovering from his several injuries. Sam had a quick recovery from his gunshot wounds and was already training with the team again. Arno was happy with Sam's progress but not with his own.

He began physical therapy two weeks earlier (which he didn't think was necessary). He had secretly began training again without his doctor's knowing. Natasha noticed how miserable he looked just lazing around the base so she gave him a program that would allow him to train without pushing him to his limits and not risk slowing his recovery.

Natasha and Arno's relationship had not hit the spotlight yet, aside from Steve. Since they cleared things up the night they spoke, they had spoke once more and agreed to take things slow. They had decided on a routine: monday's were pizza and movie night (Natasha's pick), wednesday's were dance night (Which consisted of Natasha teaching Arno), and friday's were taco's and movie night (Arno's pick). They figured they would stick with this until one of them got bored with it and then they would change it up some.

It was a Tuesday and Arno sat in a chair waiting for the results of his most recent x-ray and some other tests. The doctor finally walked in with a smile that put Arno somewhat at ease. "Well your x-rays show that your ribs and legs have healed enough that you may return to your training. Now I have two other matters. One, I think you should take it easy for the next couple of weeks as you work back into your training."

Arno just rolled his eyes and smirked. "Whats the second matter?"

"Since you will no doubt ignore my advice and push yourself to the limit, I would like for you to come back in a week so we may check if your body is handling the training alright." Arno let out a laugh and nodded his agreement as he stood up to walk out.

He had a surprise waiting for him outside. Natasha stood there in her civilian attire. Her red hair hung past her shoulders in curls and her face was lit up into a smile of joy that was also obviously keeping a secret. "The doctor told me the good news."

Arno looked confused. "Really? He told you before he told me?"

Natasha tilted her head to the side. "Well I wanted to know first because I've got a surprise for you."

Arno narrowed his eyes in playful suspicion. Before he could ask anything she took him by the hand and led him towards the training area. They walked through the door and he immediately noticed every one of his friends gathered around a table all watching him with smiles. Everyone spoke at the same time. "Welcome back Arno!"

Arno smiled as he looked at everyone around the table. Wanda, Vision, and Sam were gathered on one side and on the other side was Tony, Rhodey, and Thor. Steve stood nearby the large doors that led outside with a grill and a plate of burgers. Sharon stood nearby him with a smile and a drink. Natasha and Arno sat down and joined everyone in conversation.

A few minutes later, Steve sat a plate of about two dozen burgers in the middle. Immediately, everyone began fixing their burgers and before long the plate was empty and they had returned to chatting. A few minutes passed and Steve stood and whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "Alright! We're here to celebrate the recovery of our friend, Arno. As you all know, he has been with us for a while now and I believe it's time to make it official. Arno, would you please stand?"

Arno looked around at everyone and stood before meeting Steve's eyes. "Arno, you have made sacrifices and endured much in your short time with us. We'd be proud to call you an Avenger, but the choice is yours."

Arno looked around the table at everyone that awaited his decision with a confused look before returning his attention to Steve. "I thought I was already on the team."

Everyone started laughing and congratulating Arno on officially becoming an Avenger. Everyone resumed their talking and Arno just looked around the table at the people that had become family to him over the past couple months.

He saw Natasha look to Tony as if she were asking him a question and he just smiled and nodded. Tony stood and got everyone's attention. "Well now that we've got a new member to the team, he needs a weapon that will distinguish him from the rest of us. Capcicle has his shield, Thunder Boy has his hammer, and your's truly has his cool suit, immeasurable wealth, genius level IQ, and irresistibly good lo-" Tony paused when a few french fries came flying towards him. "Alright! Alright! Anyway, Rhodey and I have been working on a project for a few weeks now and we just finished the other day."

Tony walked away from the table and returned with a long box. He walked around until he stood in front of Arno. He held the box in front of him and opened it. Arno's eyes went wide. Inside the box was the Sword of Eden.

It glowed as Arno's eyes scanned over the length of the blade. The blade he carried for years after it was used to tear a hole in his life now sat before him. He pulled his eyes away to look at Tony. Tony smiled and softly nodded his head. "When you first arrived here, you had this when they brought you in. They turned it over to me to study and I've had it ever since."

Arno slowly lifted the sword from the box and he could feel every eye in the room on him. "As crazy as it sounds, I had completely forgotten I had it with me." He turned it on it's side and without warning, a bolt of lightning shot from the blade across the room. It didn't hit anyone but left an apple sized hole in the wall that glowed orange around the edge.

Arno's eyes shot straight to Tony who had dropped the box and was looking at the hole through gritted teeth. "Yeahhh, I was going to mention that. We-well I- fixed the firing mechanism in the sword. The power source was overloaded so I implemented the smallest arc reactor I've ever desi-" Natasha interrupted. "Get to the point Stark." Tony threw his hands up. "Okay! Bottom line is, it won't be as powerful as it was before but it should do the job."

Thor spoke up from the table. "Is that all it does? It just shoots a single bolt of lightning?"

Tony whipped around to glare at Thor. "Isn't that enough?"

Thor smiled but decided not to insult Tony any further by comparing the sword with his hammer. Tony stepped closer to Arno and pointed to a small spot on the sword's handle. "Just press on this point and it'll fire."

Arno looked from Tony to everyone else around the table and they were all smiling, which he returned. "Thank you, all of you." He gently put the sword back into the box. "Tony, will it fire if I just sit it in the box?" Tony looked excited and proud. "Nope. I built some scanners into the handle that scan the hand of the person holding it." "So that means?" "It's your sword, Arno. It won't work for anyone but you."

Arno looked to Tony with a look of surprise. Tony smiled. "Welcome to the Avengers."

Arno closed the box and stood. He extended his hand in front of him. "Thank you, Tony." "Well I can't take all the credit, it was Natasha's idea. I would've been happy with hanging it in my den." Arno looked around to face her and she was smiling big at him. At the sight of her all he could do was smile back.

The rest of the celebration was a blur of laughs and smiles. Before long everyone was returning to their rooms for the night.

Arno walked Natasha to her room and she stopped outside her door. She turned to look at him and the box containing the sword under his arm. "You know, I'm curious about how you first came by that sword."

The memory flashed through his mind. "It's a long story." She gave him one of her smirks. "I'm not tired."

He put on a tight lipped smile. "I suppose I'm not either." They had only been together a few weeks but it felt longer than that. He felt a certain comfort when he was around her.

She stepped aside and allowed him to walk into her room. They both made their way to the couch where he sat the sword's box on the table. He opened it so they both could see it's glow. Arno paused as he took in the sight as he remembered the day that haunted his dreams for years but figured he should start from the beginning.

"I've told you about the good and bad people in both Orders. Well at one time peace seemed to be possible between the Assassins and Templars. Then that hope was crushed when people like Monsieur De La Serre and Master Mirabeu were murdered. You read my letters, so you know that Elise and I spent years tracking down her father's murderer and killing any of his allies we encountered. You also know that she was killed exacting the revenge that had consumed her. Well, this sword was used to kill her."

Arno's voice nearly failed at finishing the sentence. He eyed the sword and felt a familiar anger and hatred. This hate wasn't directed to the sword, it was just a tool. This hate was directed at the man who was long dead that had wielded the sword.

Arno told the story of the day he and Elise came face to face with Germain, and every detail leading up to the moment he carried Elise's body out of the temple. He never took his eyes off the sword until he felt a gentle hand on his back.

He turned his head so his eyes could meet her's and he could just see the compassion in her face as he shared this painful memory of his past. Her mouth curved up into a smirk as she decided to change the subject. "You thinking about using it on Ward?"

Arno gave a mocking look. "Never occurred to me."

With that he bid her goodnight with a kiss and departed for his own room with his sword. As he climbed into his bed, he thought of what Natasha said and what Ward said to him about torturing the next Avenger he finds. Arno closed his eyes and thought out loud. "Not if I find you first."

"What do you mean there's nothing?! I've given you his name, face, his home country and you can't find anything?!" Ward slammed his fist into his desk in anger. "I thought you were an expert at this!"

"I am sir, but I'm telling you this 'Arno' is a ghost. There's nothing on him, not even a birth certificate. All of our sources in France have came up empty handed with facial recognition from the picture you gave us. Are you sure this man is French?"

Ward glared at the man for questioning him. "He had an accent. Yes I'm sure. Next time we speak, you better have more than just excuses."

The man's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. "Finally! I'm meeting a man tomorrow that might be able to identify who this 'Arno' is."

Ward sat in his chair. "Who is he?" The man continued reading the message. "I'm not sure if this is correct but it says he's a historian..."

 **Well I hope y'all enjoy the update! Please leave a review on what you think should happen next!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well this one didn't take 3 months :) Hopefully I can keep em coming at a decent pace. This chapter is special to me. In our lives we come across people that hurt us, physically and emotionally, and close friends or family that betray us. This chapter is a personal experience of mine that I incorporated into the story. It was just so life changing that I couldn't NOT share it. As always, enjoy! I don't own Avengers or Assassin's Creed!**

 **Chapter 9: Forgiveness**

 ** _"Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got." -Robert Brault_**

Arno's training resumed and was the same routine as before his injuries but with one extra routine; training with his sword. It usually consisted of Arno getting into a room that Stark designed to protect everyone outside from Arno's sword.

His training mostly consisted of engaging a simulated enemy but he was having a difficult time getting the lightning to hit it's target.

About a week into training with the sword, he exited his room one day to find Steve standing outside watching the camera feed of his training.

"Hey Arno. Just wanted to see how you were adjusting to the sword. Seems like your aim could use a little work."

Arno didn't have a problem with constructive critisism if it benefited his training. "Yeah. I'll get the hang of it."

Steve nodded. "Can I suggest some old fashioned target practice?" "Of course. What will you shoot?"

Steve smiled. "My Browning 1911 .45 caliber-" He noticed Arno's confused look. "And you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

Arno shook his head. "Not a clue." "Just head to the outdoor range. I'll meet you there."

Steve walked towards the locker room while Arno walked outside to the range that was located in an open field near the base. A few minutes later Steve came walking towards Arno carrying a case. He opened it and pulled out a pistol that looked like it could stop a rhino. Arno stood next to Steve and looked downrange at the targets that were marked at twenty, thirty five, and fifty yards. Arno was still getting used to 'yards' instead of 'meters'.

Steve finally spoke. "Alright, Lets start out simple. Hit the twenty yard target." Arno fired and it hit the target above and to the right of the bullseye. He fired two more bursts and hit the bulls-eye on the third shot.

Steve nodded. "Not bad. Let me show you how it's done." Steve took his place and faster than lightning raised his pistol and squeezed the trigger. He emptied the magazine within seconds and every shot hit within a two inch radius of the bulls-eye.

Arno just smirked. "Show off."

Steve turned to Arno and laughed. "Well I've had plenty of practice."

They continued shooting for the next half hour. Arno shot the thirty five and fifty yard targets. His accuracy was improving each round of shooting.

Steve kept watching him and correcting his form to help him steady his aim on targets at a longer range. Arno shot two bursts that hit directly in the center.

He got excited and thought out loud. "We'll see just how arrogant Ward is when I find him and put a hole in his chest."

He looked to Steve but Steve just looked back at him with a look that held no expression. "Are you going after him for justice or revenge?"

"Those are just different words for the same thing."

Steve raised his eyebrows. "No it's not. There's a fine line." Arno stood in silence waiting for him to elaborate. Steve just walked up to him and pointed at Arno's chest where his heart was located. "This is where that line is drawn. Are you doing this because it's the right thing to do or is it to satisfy your own desire to hurt Ward because he hurt you?"

Arno thought on it for a second before he admitted to himself what he already knew. "What do you want me to do? The man shot me in both of my legs. Am I supposed to just forget about it?"

Steve looked him in the eye. "Not forget. Forgive."

Arno paused for a few seconds. "Are you a man of faith Steve?" "Yes." "Well I'm not. God took everyone and everything from me."

Steve didn't hesitate. "Did he? Or did your decisions and the decisions of those around you lead to that? I know what happened with you and Elise. Tell me, would things have turned out differently if she forgave the man that murdered her father instead of letting vengeance consume her?"

Arno swung his fist and it connected with Steve's jaw. Steve recovered and stood straight up to look Arno in the eye. "And what did that hit accomplish? Was it meant to stop me from talking about her or to quench your anger? If it's the latter, it doesn't seem to have helped judging from the look on your face."

A few seconds passed and Arno settled down some. "I'm sorry Steve."

"It's fine... When I thought Bucky had been killed I said I wouldn't stop until all of Hydra was dead or captured. My anger blinded me to the point that I made some crazy choices. Before I realized what had happened, I had spent 70 years frozen in ice. God didn't make my decisions for me and he didn't take everything from me but he kept me alive when I should have been killed. He still doesn't make my decisions for me but I let him give me guidance because he gave me another chance. I may still fight Hydra but I've forgiven them for all they've done and taken from me."

Arno thought long on Steve's words. "I need some time to think on this."

"Have you ever read the Bible?" "Not really."

"Matthew 6:14 and Romans 12:19. That might help." "Thanks Steve. I appreciate the advice."

"You're welcome. Now I don't know about you but I could go for a burger." They both walked back into the base and put their weapons away before joining the others for dinner.

Arno sat next to Natasha. "Saw you and Steve going to the range. Did he show off his 1911?" Arno chuckled. "Yes and he's actually pretty good with it."

Arno told her about their target practice and how Steve helped him with his aim. He decided not to tell her about their talk right now. That was a conversation for another time and place.

Their dinner passed by with some delicious burgers and small talk about their day. Arno finished eating and Natasha excused herself to make some phone calls.

He walked back to his room and sat on his couch when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Steve. "Matthew 6:14 and Romans 12:19, in case you forgot. If you have any questions, you know where to find me."

Figuring Steve would ask about it later, he might as well look them up. What harm could it do?

He walked to the library where he found Vision reading as well. He walked all through the room until he finally found a King James Bible on the shelf. He walked to a nearby chair in the corner away from Vision and anyone else that might walk in.

He flipped through the old pages until he found the verse in Matthew. "If ye forgive men their tresspasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Arno read it four more times, letting the words sink in.

He flipped to the other verse in Romans. "Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Arno read this verse four extra times as well.

He closed the book and sat there deep in thought trying to find forgiveness for a man that not only hurt him but threatened to hurt his friends.

As far as he knew, he'd never prayed in his life. Was it something formal and ritualistic like he'd seen in the few churches he'd been in? Were there certain words he was supposed to say?

He retrieved his phone from his pocket and sent a text to Steve. "How do I pray?" A short minute later he got a reply. "Just talk to God. Do whatever makes you comfortable, he's not picky." Arno picked up the Bible and carried it with him back to his room.

He put it on a table beside the couch and sat down. He was fighting a war in his heart. His anger and thirst for revenge fought against him as he tried to forgive Ward.

He brought his hands together and stared at the wall in front of him. He spoke out loud from his heart. "Um... God, I don't know what to do. I want to forgive Ward but I also want to bring him to justice. I don't know how to do either. Please... I need some help, that's all I'm asking for."

He stopped as something came to his mind. It wasn't just Ward he needed to forgive. What Ward did to him was bad but this thirst was a result of pent up anger that he just realized he'd carried for years.

Anger toward Germain for tearing a hole in his life.

Anger toward Elise for letting herself be consumed with selfish revenge.

Anger toward Belec, the Assassins, and himself...

He'd been foolish in the decisions of his old life and they left scars. These thoughts and feelings hit Arno like a flood.

He buried his face into his hands and a tear slid down his cheek. His heart felt so heavy as he went through every person in his mind and thought of every wrong they'd done to him and for each person, he spoke aloud. "I forgive you, even if you aren't sorry."

Lastly, he thought of himself and all the wrong he'd done, and he paused...

Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.

He let out a heavy breath. "I forgive you, because I know you're sorry."

He sat there looking at the floor in front of him for a full minute. When he finally came out of his thoughts, he noticed something was different. His heart felt light as a feather. His anger subsided and he felt something he couldn't quite describe. There was only one word that came to mind to describe what he felt.

Peace.

Before he could ponder it any further there was a knock on the door. He wiped his face and grabbed the Bible.

He slid it under the edge of the couch and stood to open the door. It was Natasha. Great, the one person that could spot the slightest hint of anything out of the ordinary stood at his door.

He put on a smile which felt fitting because he was genuinely happy in that moment. "Hey."

"Hey Arno. We need to talk." "Come in."

She walked in and turned to face him as he shut the door. Something seemed different but she ignored it. What she needed to say couldn't wait.

"I just heard from a friend of mine in Paris. He's been tracking a Hydra agent for the last few days after he arrived in the country. The first day he arrived in the city he met with a historian from a university and for the last five days, he's been all over the city and parts of the countryside. Apparently, he shows a particular interest in landmarks from pre-Napoleanic era. We've been monitoring his cell phone and emails but it's encrypted. Our hackers were just able decode a few parts and your name came up in several messages. He's set to leave the country in two days. We need to get him before he leaves and find out what he knows."

Arno listened with full attention. It sounded like Hydra was trying to learn more about him, but how did they figure out that he was from the 1790's?

Maybe this agent would have some answers. Now that everything had been said, Natasha looked around the room sensing that something was off about Arno. Then she spotted what looked like a book under the edge of the couch. "Been reading?"

Arno realized she'd seen the book but couldn't tell it was a Bible. "Uh yes, some." Ok, now she knew something was up. She put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay? You seem... different."

Arno smiled. "I've just had a lot on my mind this evening. Everything's fine now, thank you for asking."

She smiled. "Of course. Glad you're alright now."

She looked into his eyes. "I've already talked with Steve, we leave for Paris in an hour. It'll be us, Steve, Sam, and Wanda."

Arno started thinking about everything he needed to pack before they left. "Alright. I'll get packed. It'll be nice to see what's become of the city in the last 250 years."

Natasha chuckled and kissed him. "Meet you at the jet." She turned and left the room.

Without missing a beat, Arno began packing. The entire time he kept wondering how much Hydra knew about him.

An hour later he stood at the jet with his bag and weapons. He was soon joined by the others and they all loaded into the jet.

It was late so he decided he'd stretch out on a bench seat and get some sleep. Sam and Steve had the same idea. Wanda sat in the corner listening to music and Natasha sat next to the seat Arno was laying his head on.

The jet was set to autopilot to a safe house outside the city for the night and the next day they'd head into the city to find the agent.

 **Well I started typing and I just couldn't stop. The part from the conversation between Steve and Arno to the part before Natasha knocked on the door was based off a personal experience and I figured I'd share it. If you're going through a similar situation, I hope you got something from that. Another good verse is Mark 12:31 "Love your neighbor as yourself." That being said, I'd like to take a moment and tell every person that read this story up to this point, regardless of your beliefs or political opinions, that I love every one of you. Thank you for sticking with me through this story. The next chapter will have plenty of action.**


	10. Chapter 10

**For the record, I have never been to Paris before (But it's on my bucket list) so my description of what the city is like may not be accurate to someone who has been there so I'm going to try to keep it as simple as possible. But I kept my promise, there's plenty of action later in the chapter. For the first part of this chapter, I recommend listening to "Deep Blue Day" by Brian Eno, it helps set the tone (If you like that kind of music). But when things start to get serious, any action movie song would probably be fine. So here we go...**

Chapter 10: Home Is Where The Heart Is

They arrived at the safe house outside of Paris shortly before midnight where they met Natasha's contact named Luc. He informed them that his men were watching the Hydra agent's hotel. In the morning shortly after sunrise, they would go to the hotel and stop him from leaving. Luc showed everyone to their rooms. Steve and Sam took the first, Natasha and Wanda took the second, and that left the last room to Arno.

Everyone except Arno seemed tired from the flight to France, but Arno figured he would try to sleep anyway. He sat on the bed and looked out his window. He could see the lights shining into the sky. He continued to watch for a few more minutes. Finally, his curiousity got the better of him. He stood from his bed and put on his hood.

Natasha had helped him design a new hood over the last few weeks. It no longer looked like something out of the 18th century, but something modern that would blend in well with crowds. It was a slick grey and hung almost to his knees in the back.

He walked to the door, slowly opened it, and stepped into the hall. He took three steps and the door beside him opened, there stood Natasha.

Her face told him she knew what he was doing but she asked anyway. "Where do you think you're going?"

Arno smiled. "Just feeling curious."

She let out a chuckle and he noticed she was still wearing her civilian clothes. "Mind if I join you? I doubt it's the same as you remember. You might get lost."

Arno didn't say a word. He extended his arm for her to take as if they were somewhere formal. She took him by the arm and they walked out of the house and in the direction of the bright glowing city.

Half an hour later they were walking through the city and despite the late hours, the streets were full of life. He admired how bright the lights shone on the streets as opposed to the dim lanterns he remembered. The streets were paved and the buildings didn't look worn and falling apart.

He and Natasha walked until he saw something that took his breath away. A large tower stood about a half mile away but it was the brightest thing in the night sky. Natasha had been holding onto his arm as they walked together through the streets.

She saw the look on his face and realized he'd never seen this before so she figured she'd inform him. "That's the Eiffel Tower. It was built some time after you... left."

After a few seconds he spoke. "It's beautiful."

Feeling excited, Natasha pulled him along knowing where she was going. A few minutes later they rounded a corner and there stood a large concrete building that formed an arc underneath it. "What is that?"

"The Arc de Triomphe. We can go to the top if you want to get a view of the city."

Arno smiled like a little kid. "Yes! That'd be great!"

She laughed at his excitement over seeing a city that he'd spent far more time in than she had. As they reached the base of the monument, there was a sign that read "Fermé" (Closed) hanging on a metal gate. Natasha was disappointed that they wouldn't be able to go to the top but before she could say anything, she heard Arno's boots hit the ground on the other side. Her eyes went wide. "What are you doing?" He smiled through the gate. "They'll need more than a sign to stop me. Come on." She let out a breath before looking around to make sure nobody was watching. She quickly climbed over the gate and they both started jogging up the stairs laughing.

It took a few minutes to get to the top but when they did, the view was extraordinary. You could see for miles through a metal fence that surrounded the top of the monument. The cold wind blew in the early hours of the morning.

Arno and Natasha climbed a wall and sat on a flat maintenance platform at the highest possible point. It allowed them to sit and also see over the metal fence. Arno admired the view and he saw Natasha shiver a little next to him, she didn't bring a jacket. He stood and removed his hood before sitting back down and placing it over her shoulders and wrapping his arm around her. She pulled his hood around her until it encircled her and blocked the wind. She felt his hand slide around her to rest on her upper arm. A smile crept across her lips as she laid her head on his shoulder.

After a few minutes she looked up at him. His eyes scanned the city and his face showed no emotion. She broke the silence. "Something wrong?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and then looked back in front of him. "In my mind it's only been a few months since I've been here, not 200 years... I spent many years here but I feel like I'm seeing it for the first time."

She softly smiled. "Welcome home Arno."

He smirked and met her eyes. "It's not my home anymore."

He leaned over and captured her lips. After a couple of seconds he deepened the kiss and placed his hand on her cheek. A few more seconds passed before he pulled back a couple of inches and looked into her eyes. His mouth formed a smile as did her's. Although it was cold outside, he felt nothing but warmth. He leaned his head against her's and he pulled her closer, but the moment was cut short. Both of their phones went off at the same time. Wanda texted Natasha and Steve texted Arno at the same time asking where they were and that it was time to go to the hotel. Natasha replied, telling them where they were and that they would meet them a couple of blocks from the hotel. She also asked if they would bring them their weapons. (Except for Arno's sword, it would draw too much attention.)

Three hours later the sun was beginning to rise.

Arno and Natasha had met up with the rest of the team at a food court a couple of blocks from the hotel. Luc explained that his source in the police department had cleared all cops from the area. The team would have fifteen minutes from the start of the operation to capture the agent and get out before the police arrived. They needed to be as quiet as possible about this.

They went over the details of the plan and headed out. A single SUV would park in front of the hotel and the agent would leave with two armed guards. Steve would quarterback everything from the second floor of the office across the street while Sam was on over-watch in case the agent managed to get into the SUV. Wanda would disarm the guards to avoid any civilian injuries while Arno would grab the agent with Natasha covering him. If something went wrong, the rendezvous would be at the safe house. It was a simple plan. Almost too simple...

Wanda sat at a cafe sipping coffee as she glanced to her side at the hotel every few seconds. Natasha and Arno sat in opposite alleys beside the hotel. Sam stood on the roof ready to track the SUV if the agent got inside. Steve spoke into the comms. "Alright, Luc's men said the SUV is five minutes out. Nobody moves until we confirm the agent is out of the hotel."

Five minutes later the SUV pulled to a stop in front of the hotel. The two guards walked outside with their guns concealed beneath their coats. They looked around the street for threats and one of them spoke into a headset.

A few seconds later, a man in a suit emerged from the building carrying a briefcase. Wanda glanced at the hotel and spotted the agent. "Confirmed."

Steve immediately replied. "Copy. Mission is a go." Without hesitation, Wanda seized the guard's guns but she didn't expect what happened next. Instead of trying to hold onto their weapons, one of the guards shouted into his headset as he spotted Wanda. "ENGAGE! ACROSS THE STREET!"

A second later, a sentry gun rose from the top of the SUV and two more on the driver's side emerged from the doors. They all zeroed in on Wanda and opened fire. There were about eight civilians in the cafe. She deflected every bullet she could to shield them until they could get clear of the line of fire.

Meanwhile, Natasha and Arno sensed the plan going down the drain so they ran from their cover in the alleys and the two guards attacked them. They made quick work of them but not quick enough. As they finished them off, the sentry gun on top had turned on them and two more emerged from the doors on the passenger's side. Arno saw the agent getting into the backseat but not wanting to get shot again, he dove behind a dumpster and pulled Natasha with him as they started shooting. The SUV sped away down the street.

Arno knew they were going to have to improvise or they'd lose the agent for good. "Sam, I need you to give me a lift." A couple of seconds later, Sam flew down and grabbed Arno's arm. "Let's try this again." He lifted Arno off the ground and sped away in the direction of the SUV.

It wasn't hard to spot but unfortunately, neither were they. All five sentries pointed up at Arno and Sam. Arno shouted loud as he could. "GO LEFT!" Not asking questions, Sam got out of the line of sight as he heard Steve speaking through the comms. "What's the plan?"

"We can't get near it because of those guns. I need you to track it through the traffic cameras and SAT imaging. Me and Arno are going to stay over the buildings to avoid the fire."

Arno spoke up. "Let us know when it makes any turns!" "We've got it here. It's still going south... It just turned right!" Sam turned right and they got a glimpse of the turning SUV before disappearing over the buildings again. "Sam cross over the street!" Sam flew over the street quickly before it could zero in on them.

Arno figured if he timed it right, he could drop onto the top of it. "Ok! Go again!" This time, Arno was ready. As they came over the buildings, Arno surprised Sam and let go. He must've fell about about twenty feet before landing on the roof of the SUV. Arno would admit, it hurt.

He barely grabbed onto the sentry gun to keep from rolling off. Once he stabilized, he started kicking the ammo belt and finally broke it off. The gun fired five shots into the air before it was out. The SUV started swerving trying to throw Arno off but he held on. He started to think of any way he could disable it without harming civilians. Then he looked in front of him and saw a man standing in the middle of the road.

He was wearing all black and had a metal arm. He lifted a gun and fired a disc that disappeared under the SUV. Arno was confused and then he felt the back of it starting to rise off the ground as he heard an explosion. Then he realized what had happened.

He jumped off and came to a complete stop as he landed on the windshield of a parked car. This hit hurt worse than landing on the SUV. He wasn't sure how long he laid there almost knocked out.

As his vision cleared, he was looking at the man face to face, except he was pointing a pistol at Arno's chest. He spoke in clear english. "Who are you?" Arno let out a pained groan. "You must be Bucky. I'm here with Steve."

He raised his eyebrows but kept the gun pointed at him. "Steve? He's here?"

"Yeah." Arno spoke into the comms. "Steve... I found Bucky..."

He could hear Steve on the other side. "Bucky?! Is he attacking you?!"

"No but I don't think he's too convinced I'm on your side." He listened to what Steve said next. It confused him. "What?" He looked to Bucky. "He said he owes you for making him ride the Cyclone, does that mean anything to you?" Bucky chuckled as he lowered his gun. It was then Arno noticed he was dragging the unconscious Hydra agent with his metal arm. Then he heard the sirens. "We should go."

Bucky grabbed Arno's arm and pulled him off the car and he threw the agent over his shoulder before they both started running down an alley. "Steve, I need you to track us and tell us where to go!" Then he heard Sam's voice. "I see you Arno! There's cops at the end of the alley! You need to get out of sight!"

Arno spotted a ladder and turned to Bucky. "Can you climb and carry him?" Bucky nodded and they both ran to the wall. Arno figured Bucky would use the ladder so he just started climbing the wall but he was surprised when Bucky not only kept up with him but he wasn't using the ladder either. They both reached the roof at the same time and Arno spotted Sam flying overhead.

"Sam can you guide us to the river?" "Yeah! It's about half a mile west!" Immediately Arno started sprinting across the rooftop and Bucky stayed with him despite the extra weight. As they jumped to the next roof, they heard guns firing and bullets flying near them. "Arno! You got Hydra agents firing on you from the ground!"

They must have been sent to protect the agent they just captured. "Can you do something about it?!" "There's too many, I'll try to distract them!" Sam flew over and a few agents fired on him but most of them kept their guns trained on Bucky and Arno.

The buildings gave pretty good cover. The roof came to an end and they didn't slow down, as they jumped across the street but they didn't quite make it to the roof and landed on a balcony. Without hesitation, they bursted through the doors and there was a man with a frightened look on his face. Arno only paused for a second. "Your pardon, Monsieur."

They ran to a window on the opposite side and jumped out to the next roof. The Hydra agents were still chasing them. Then Arno heard Steve on the comms. "Arno can you make it to the river?" "Maybe! We're still taking fire!" "There's a boat waiting for you. You need to move fast. They're putting the entire city on full alert."

They ran across what seemed to be a never-ending stretch of rooftops until they finally made it to the river. Once again, they didn't stop as they jumped off the roof and into the water. Bucky let the agent go as they all fell forty feet into the river. After they hit the water, Arno quickly spotted a boat floating nearby and grabbed the agent who was still out cold. Bucky helped him pull the man to the boat and lift him into it and they climbed in after. As soon as they were in, bullets started flying all around them.

Bucky started the boat and it sped down the river away from the agents and pretty soon they were at the edge of the city. Figuring they would be tracked, Bucky floored the throttle and they jumped out. The empty boat sped down the straight span of the river. Arno and Bucky pulled the agent onto the river bank before they both had to sit down and take a breath.

The unconscious man then started to stir a little before looking around and noticing the two men sitting near him. Without saying a word, Arno punched him across the face and he was out again.

He looked to Bucky who spoke first. "You knocked him out, you can carry him."

Arno rolled his eyes before lifting the agent over his shoulder and they both started walking to find the nearest road. Arno figured he could try the comms. "Can anyone hear me? We made it out of the city." He heard Steve on the other end. "Good! Where are you?" "About a half mile west of the city. We're going north, away from the river. Hydra will be following us so we ditched the boat." "Okay, keep heading north. We'll be there soon."

Arno pulled the comm out of his ear, that thing got annoying after a while. He looked at Bucky. "We haven't officially met, Arno Dorian."

Bucky kept a straight face as he shook Arno's hand. "James Barnes." "How'd you find us?"

"I didn't even know you were in Paris. I've been chasing this guy for a while. I planned to ambush him on his way to the airport but I had to improvise when I heard shooting, so thanks for interrupting my breakfast." Arno laughed. "In all fairness, you forced me to jump off a speeding vehicle."

Now Bucky was laughing. "I've never heard of you. How long have you been with the Avengers?"

"A few months." "How'd you end up with them?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." "Try me."

Arno stopped walking and turned to face Bucky. "I'm an Assassin from the 1790's. I came here when a device on another world brought me to the future. The Avengers found me and took me in." Bucky raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a story."

"Yeah. That's the short version, what's yours?" He hesitated for a second. "70 years ago, I fell off a train in Germany and since then I've been a brainwashed assassin for Hydra."

Now Arno raised an eyebrow. "Well you're pretty good for an old man." "You're one to talk." They shared a laugh before they heard a vehicle approaching.

A rather small car stopped in front of them and Steve got out. Arno couldn't help but wonder how he fit in there. Steve looked at them both before looking directly at Bucky. "Hey Buck. Do you know who I am?"

Bucky softly smiled as he spoke to his best friend. "Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."

Steve smiled as he put a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Glad you're both alright. We need to go."

Arno spoke up. "Uhh... Did you expect us all to fit in there?" "It was the only inconspicuous car Luc could spare right now. Besides, all of his people are too busy cleaning up our mess in the city."

"How many were hurt?"

"Thankfully, none. Just some property damage but the authorities are on high alert so we need to leave soon. We'll interrogate this guy when we get back to base." Arno and Steve started walking towards the car but Bucky stayed in place. He looked like he was deep in thought, trying to make a decision.

Steve noticed. "Bucky? Aren't you coming with us?" "How can I after everything I've done?"

"That wasn't you. Come with us, you can help us take down Hydra." Bucky thought on this. He'd been going after Hydra alone all this time and he was holding his own but he wasn't able to do much by himself.

"Alright. I'll go." They put the agent into the trunk and all three of them crammed into the tiny car and Steve drove down the road, heading for the safe house and their jet back to America.

 **I know what you're probably thinking. "This would've been much easier if they brought Vision." Well then the action would be over quick, and where's the fun in that? I was pretty happy with how this chapter turned out :) and I hope y'all were too. I don't know when I'll be able to update again. I'm pretty busy this month getting things ready for my LAST year of college. (Thank God)**


	11. Chapter 11

**It's seems I owe y'all an apology. I'm sorry this took so long to do but things have been insanely busy these days. I'm in my last year of college, I've started looking for a job, and I haven't been able to give this story the attention I'd like to. Yet, I still get a notification every once in a while that someone has added this story to their favorites or they're following it now. If you've been following this for a while, it's been so long since I updated you probably forgot about this story. I would like to take a moment and thank everyone that has added this to their favorites or is following this story! Thank you for your support despite my absence!**

Chapter 11: An Old Enemy

Arno, Bucky, and Steve arrived back at the safe house as everyone was loading their equipment into the jet. Arno immediately spotted Natasha and smiled but she didn't smile back. Instead, she walked over to him, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him around the corner. Arno could overhear Sam almost whisper to Steve. "Hate to be him right now."

Once they were out of sight, Natasha looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "What was that little stunt?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The one where you let go of Sam and landed on top of a moving car!"

Arno then realized what this was about. She had been worried about him. "Sam would've gotten hit before he could get near it. It worked out Natasha. I'm fine."

This didn't seem to calm her much. "You ever do something stupid like that again, you better hope you don't make it back." She didn't mean that... at least, he hoped she didn't.

"I'm sorry Nat. I was just trying to get it done." She stepped close and enveloped him in a hug. "Just don't do it again." He wrapped his arms around her and said barely above a whisper. "I won't."

She let him go and looked into his eyes. "We need to get going."

They walked back to the jet and Sam pointed at him with a smirk. "You're never flying with me again." Arno smiled. "It's not my fault you can't hold on." Within a few minutes, they had the agent and all their equipment loaded into the jet and they were on a course for the U.S.

Arno and Natasha were asleep before they'd even been in the air an hour, but everyone else wasn't tired. Bucky sat in a corner looking like he had a lot on his mind. Sam and Steve sat in front piloting the jet. Sam was flying and Steve was mostly there to keep him company. "You wanna try flying for a while?"

"The last time I flew something, I crashed into ice. You really want me to fly?"

Sam laughed. "Forget I asked."

A few seconds passed. "Hey where were Arno and Natasha this morning? Them two sneak off somewhere?" Sam spoke and wiggled his eyebrows but Steve just shook his head and chuckled. He'd already spoke to Arno about it. "Natasha caught Arno sneaking out shortly after we all went to bed."

"Why was he sneaking out?"

"He wanted to see what had become of his home. Natasha said she went with him in case he got lost but I think she just wanted to show off Paris to him. It was hard for me to see how much Brooklyn had changed in 70 years but the Paris that Arno remembers is completely gone."

Sam smiled. "Those two make quite a pair."

Steve looked over his shoulder at Arno and Natasha asleep on the bench seat. Natasha was sitting upright with her head resting on her hand and Arno was stretched out on the bench with his head resting on her leg. Steve was happy for his friends. They've both been through a lot but they had each other now.

"Yeah they do."

The hours passed and pretty soon, they were back on US soil. Everyone was given 12 hours to unpack and recuperate from the trip. Steve showed Bucky to a room he could stay in if he decided to stay with the Avengers. They both walked in and Bucky looked around but Steve could tell he wasn't comfortable. He acted as if at any moment someone could pop out of nowhere with a weapon.

"You need anything Buck?"

Bucky looked at him and shook his head. "No. Thanks Steve."

Steve nodded. "We want to help you. You can trust us."

"I trust you and only you. I don't know them, and they don't know me."

Steve understood his hesitation and that he was probably Bucky's only living friend. "Well I trust them, maybe you will too one day." With a soft smile, he left Bucky to get comfortable in his new room.

The agent woke up in chains on their way from France but didn't say a word the whole way back. They left him cuffed to a table in an interrogation room as soon as they returned. They figured they'd take some time to figure out a game plan before questioning him.

However, Arno stood on the other side of the glass watching him. He kept running everything through his mind with every question he planned on asking this guy. "Thought I'd find you here." Arno must've really been deep in thought because he didn't even notice that Steve had entered the room. He moved to stand beside him looking through the one-way glass. "Yeah."

Steve turned his head to look at Arno. "Something on your mind?" "I just want to know. Why are they interested in me? Why are they trying to figure out where I came from?" Steve shook his head. "We're going to figure that out."

They stayed there talking about the mission for a few more minutes when they both decided they'd waited long enough. Steve looked to Arno. "Well, shall we?"

They both entered the room and the man's eyes went straight to Arno. This surprised him a little. Steve wasted no time breaking the silence. "What's your name?"

He answered immediately "Derek." Arno and Steve looked at each other and back to 'Derek'. "What were you doing in Paris?"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "What does anybody do in Paris? It's a beautiful city with many landmarks and fine cuisines."

His sarcasm was almost too obvious. Steve wasn't in the mood to play these games. He sat in the chair opposite Derek. "We know you're with Hydra and we know you were searching for something in Paris. What was your mission?"

Derek looked to Arno for a couple seconds before a smirk appeared on his face. "How does it feel to have your entire life pulled from under you, Assassin?"

Steve caught him with a right hook on the jaw to get his attention. He honestly held back because he didn't want to knock him out again. "I asked you a question. What is Hydra doing in Paris?"

Derek spat a little blood on the floor before he looked Steve in the eye with anger. "Hydra? Personally, I would never work with such amateurs. I was merely approached by Hydra who offered some interesting information in exchange for assistance and I was verifying the information when you interrupted me."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "If not Hydra, who do you work for?" Derek's annoying smirk was back. "The thing with groups like Hydra, they spend too much time in the spotlight and are constantly being rebuilt because someone will always take the time and effort to tear them down. We have been in the shadows of civilization for centuries and will continue to operate for many more centuries."

He looked to Arno with evil in his eyes.

"I am a Templar."

Natasha had been looking for Steve or Arno for a while now. Neither of them were in their rooms.

She rounded a corner heading to check the interrogation room and almost bumped into Bucky. His sudden presence surprised her but he didn't so much as flinch.

He spoke first. "Excuse me."

They moved around each other and Natasha continued walking without looking back at him. His voice stopped her.

"I remember you. Iran. You were escorting a scientist."

She stopped walking but didn't turn around. A couple seconds passed before he spoke again.

"I shot you." Now she could hear guilt in his voice. "I'm sorry."

Natasha turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. He was standing at the corner of the hall. His face held no expression but his voice sounded ridden with guilt and regret. She figured the least she could do was show some empathy. "You didn't know what you were doing."

He replied after a couple seconds. "I still did it though."

She turned to face him and spoke in a calm tone. "Are you going to keep telling yourself that? It's in the past. You can't change it so all you can do is get on with your life and try to make a difference."

She looked into his eyes for a couple more seconds and when he didn't say anything, she turned and continued her search for Steve and Arno.

Arno was glad Steve was doing most of the interrogation because he was fighting with which of his one hundred questions he wanted answered first. He was curious if the Templars were still active and as powerful as they always were. Natasha and Clint shared the few rumors they'd heard in the world of assassination and espionage but nothing solid. Arno replayed the entire mission over in his head. With the number of guards and advanced hardware they had in Paris, they're probably still going pretty strong. Steve's voice broke his focus.

"Your briefcase had some interesting information. History of the French Revolution, information on landmarks in Paris, and this." Steve reached behind him and pulled a small book out of his pocket. It appeared to be old. The crimson leather was faded and wrinkled.

"Everything else in your case, I could find on the internet but this is something else. The pages are encoded. Show us how to decode it and we'll work out some sort of deal."

Derek looked genuinely curious. "You're the Avengers. You've probably got the best technology money can buy and yet none of your equipment can break this code?"

Steve nodded. "We do, but I'm old fashioned. Our systems are analyzing it and cross referencing patterns at a rate that would take mere minutes to break. If we would've had this system against the Nazis, we would've cracked their enigma code in seconds. However, I don't like putting too much faith in computers, so I would like to hear it from you first."

Steve pulled out his phone and sat it on the table. "When that phone rings and the person on the other end tells me we've broken the code, you become worthless to us and you'll rot in a dark and tiny cell. You have until that phone rings to show me how to decipher this code and we'll make a deal."

A few seconds of silence went by and Derek didn't look like he was going to talk at all. Then after another minute, it looked like he was getting more nervous. He finally spoke up. "What kind of deal can you offer me?"

Steve looked at his watch as he spoke. "I think you should be more worried about whether this phone is about to ring because you still haven't told me anything."

Derek brought his hands together on the table like he was trying to find his words. The arrogant man that had everything together was no longer sitting here. Now he looked like a trapped animal, willing to give anything to save his own skin, a coward. He finally stuttered a sentence. "W- Well it's a complicated code, it'd take time to show you."

Steve smirked as he retrieved a pencil and piece of paper from under the table and slid them across the table along with the notebook. "Well you better get started."

Steve turned to Arno. "I got this, go get you something to eat. When you come back, could you bring some coffee?" Arno smiled and nodded.

He walked out of the room and as he got to the hall, he met Natasha as she was walking his direction. They both smiled at each other. "I was just going to get some food. Would you like to join me?"

"Sure. Is Steve in there?"

"Yeah. Derek is showing him how to decipher a code before our program figures it out."

Natasha knitted her brow. "The Hydra agent told you his name?"

"Well he isn't a Hydra agent. He's a Templar."

Natasha looked surprised and Arno explained the rest of the situation. "Steve told him if he showed him how to decipher the code in his notebook, we'd make a deal."

About that time, Natasha's phone alerted her to a text. She looked at it but seemed confused. "It's from Steve."

She read it aloud to Arno. "Call me in about 3 minutes and tell me you've broken the code."

Natasha looked confused and so did Arno. "Steve told him he had until our program broke the code to show Steve how to do it."

Then it made sense. "There is no code-breaking program is there?"

Natasha chuckled as she also realized what Steve was doing. They both walked to the kitchen and right before they got there, Natasha pulled out her phone and dialed Steve's number.

"Hey Steve. We've broken the code." Arno could hear Steve on the other end.

"That's great, but my new friend here has already shown me how to do it. Meet me in the conference room in 10 minutes."

Arno got a quick snack and fixed some coffee for himself and Steve. Arno and Natasha walked to the conference room where they found Steve sitting in one of the chairs looking like he was a thousand miles away with the red notebook sitting in front of him. He didn't notice them enter the room. Natasha spoke first.

"Steve?" He looked up at them.

"Hey."

They both sat down as he slid the notebook over to Natasha. She took it and opened it as Steve spoke.

"Well Hydra and the Templars know that Arno is from the past. Now that they're certain that time travel is possible, they're trying to create a way to do it."

Arno chuckled. "Someone forgot to tell them that what happened to me was an accident and was caused by a piece of technology on another world."

Steve nodded. "That's true but that doesn't mean that's the only way to travel through time. Hydra is trying to form some sort of alliance with the Templars. The Templars are hesitant because, like Derek said, Hydra spends a lot of time in the public eye. Also, the Templars are doing their own research on time travel. According to this notebook, they're being funded by a company called Abstergo."

Natasha spoke. "What do you think we should do for now?"

Steve hesitated for a couple of seconds. "Derek gave up Ward's location. We don't have enough information on the Templars to form a plan of attack at the moment. I say we deal with Hydra first and then focus our attention on Abstergo and the Templars."

Arno nodded. "I agree. Where is Ward?"

Steve looked Arno in the eye like he was trying to find any sign that Arno was planning to do something foolish. Finally, he gave Arno a small smirk. He could tell Arno had let go of his desire for revenge.

"Derek said he's in Venice but he won't be once he hears about what happened in Paris. We need to go after him now. We're going to need everybody on this one."

Arno was ready to finish this. He stood from his chair. "Well lets not waste any time."

Steve looked to Arno. "Okay, go tell the rest of the team and get the gear together. I'll call Stark."

Natasha stood from her chair. "Do we really need him for this?"

"Our team just finished a mission and I'm sure they're exhausted. I'm calling Stark and we're bringing Vision too. We need everybody on this one."

Arno and Natasha agreed and left as Steve pulled out his phone and started calling Stark. "Hey Tony, you busy?"

"Not right now. What's up?"

"Well we have a situation. We're going after the leader of Hydra and we could use your help."

"The team misses me already huh?"

Steve chuckled. "If you need to keep telling yourself that, sure."

He explained everything and Tony agreed to meet them in Venice. Steve hung up the phone and finished downing the cup of coffee he realized Arno had brought for him before he got up and met the team at the hangar. They all had their gear but it was clear that they were tired.

"I know we just completed a very stressful mission and we're all exhausted, but we've found the head of Hydra. One mission, one man, and this will be the end of Hydra. When we cut this head off, two more will never take it's place."

There were plenty more bad guys in the world but one less evil organization was a step in the right direction.

Movement out of the corner of Steve's eye caught his attention. He looked and saw Bucky walking toward the jet with a pack over his shoulder. Steve stepped away from the group and met him a few feet away. Bucky spoke first. "I heard there was a mission."

"You don't have to do this Buck. Take some time and when you're ready-"

"The last thing I need is to be alone with my thoughts. Besides, I heard we're going after the head of Hydra. How could I resist?"

Steve smiled. "Alright. Well we need to get going."

They all boarded the jet, some of the team thought ahead and brought pillows so they could sleep on the flight to Venice. At least they wouldn't be completely tired once they got there. Natasha decided she would fly this time considering Sam flew the whole way back. The jet lifted off the ground and quickly sped on a course for what would hopefully be the last time the Avengers would cross swords with Hydra.

 **Well between school, some serious writer's block, and depression, this chapter took far longer than I wanted. I'm about to start my last semester of college and that means I'm going to be busier than ever... I doubt I'll be updating for a while. The good news is I have a sense of direction for where this story is heading but the main issue will be finding the time to actually focus on it and write it out. I'm sorry for not updating since July but life has been crazy... I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! We have a new/old enemy in the mix now! I'm excited to one day find the time to give attention to this story!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well this is awkward... I told myself I wouldn't go this long again without updating but here I am. I apoligize. I was very much distracted by school, depression, relationship stuff, blah blah blah, excuses, exuses, excuses. But I'm back! And I've finally graduated college! :) This doesn't neccesarily mean I'll be updating often, but it does mean I have more time to work on my stories. I've seriously been missing this story though and I've had some great ideas for it along the way (I just wish I would've wrote em down somewhere). But without further delay, here's chapter 12.**

 **Chapter 12: The Next War**

Grant Ward sat at the desk of an office flipping through some old files. He'd been waiting for a report from the teams in Paris. Since he could do nothing but wait, he figured he would come to Venice to do some research. This place had been vacated by one of the former heads of Hydra and a lot of files were left behind.

Currently he was reading about the activities of Hydra during the Cold War. Fascinating. Hydra grew all across the world and the world was too busy fighting itself to notice. It made him wonder what these Templars had been doing all this time. They seemed to have more resources and more influence than Hydra. How had they stayed hidden all this time? Ward didn't even know of their existence, which troubled him.

The hours passed by slowly as he read reports of espionage, assassination, and sabotage. Chernobyl was an especially interesting story. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Yes?" One of his lieutenants entered.

"Sir, we have a report from the Paris team." Ward nodded for him to continue but the man seemed hesitant. "...The Avengers showed up... They captured the Templar."

Ward stood and slammed his fist into the desk. He took a calming breath. "Thank you."

The man wasted no time exiting the room before Ward decided to take his anger out on him. He sat in his chair for a few minutes contemplating his next move. The Templars provided intel on the time-traveling assassin he'd captured and were more than curious to discover how he accomplished this. After about an hour of considering his situation, something occurred to him and he called for his lieutenant.

The same man from earlier entered and Ward wasted no time. "Did the Templar know about this place?"

"We notified him we would be in Venice waiting for his report of his findings."

Ward quickly stood. "Then the Avengers are probably already on their way."

And they were.

The jet arrived at Venice shortly after nightfall and the team didn't hesitate to begin their search. On the way, Steve had devised a search plan that would allow them to cover the entire city by morning while monitoring all outgoing traffic. If Ward was still here, they'll find him. Tony and Rhodey stayed in the sky monitoring any boats, aircraft, and vehicles that left the city. Vision and Sam were on overwatch, flying across the city scanning the streets for any activity. The remaining Avengers divided up into groups to search on the ground, street by street. Steve insisted on going with Bucky. Wanda paired up with Clint. That left Arno and Natasha, not that they had a problem with that.

Steve assigned each group a sector to search and they went their separate ways. It wasn't long before Arno and Natasha reached their sector and began their search. The next hour was a blur of passing streets and no sign of Hydra. Arno was starting to lose hope that Ward was still here. Then his comm link came alive.

It was Steve. "We've found something. Arno, Natasha, get to our coordinates. Everyone else maintain your search, just in case I'm wrong."

Arno and Natasha looked at each other before Natasha's phone rang. Steve had sent her their position.

Her and Arno wasted no time before running to them. A few minutes later, they found Steve standing out of sight in an alley.

He saw them coming and waved them over to him. "So what's going on?"

"A while ago, Bucky fell to his knees clutching his head. I was afraid he was losing it but before I could check on him, he turned to me and said he remembered where Hydra was operating from in Venice. At least, where they used to operate from. The building around the corner used to be a Hydra outpost during the Cold War. It could be abandoned though."

"How'd he know about this place?"

Steve didn't want to imagine what his friend had been through. "It's probably best that we don't know."

Natasha checked the street. "Where is he now?"

"He circled around to watch from the other side." "So what's the plan?"

"Before we make a move, we need to determine if this place is still an active compound. There's a 10 foot fence surrounding the entire property, the building is 3 floors but there's more than likely a basement. There hasn't been any visual activity yet."

A robotic voice spoke into their comms. "If I may be of assistance..." It was Jarvis. "A thermal scan of the compound shows 18 hostiles inside. The basement is a network of rooms underground. There's a ventilation system that spans throughout the building. Might I suggest Monsieur Dorian make use of his... skills? Ms. Romanoff coul-"

"Thank you Jarvis." Steve interrupted. He didn't like being told what to do by a computer. "My pleasure Sir."

As much as he hated to admit it, Jarvis was helpful. "He's right. Arno can you take the vents? Nat, can you get down to the basement another way? That's most likely where we'll find Ward and I want the two of you down there. I'll get everyone else her-"

Steve was interrupted by Tony. "If I could cut in for a moment Captain, there's a four car convoy leaving the city to the north."

Steve thought on it for a second. "Rhodey can you and Vision check on that? Tony, you and Sam stay on overwatch. I don't want him to escape because we fell for a diversion."

"All I'm here to do is watch? I could've done that from my couch." Steve ignored Tony's comment and turned his attention back to Arno and Natasha. "Bucky, take the garage. Nobody leaves."

"You got it." Bucky's voice came over the comm for the first time since the beginning of the mission. Tony had already voiced his concerns to Steve about having Bucky on the team for this mission. Actually, he was quite shocked when he heard they'd not only found Bucky but that he was joining them on this mission.

Steve continued laying out his plan. "I'll check the upper floors and then I'll join you in the basement. Jarvis, can you check for any security measures on the exterior of the building?"

"It seems the yard is lined with motion sensors. Security cameras are placed facing the north and south gate. The east and west sides of the compound have claymore mines concealed in the tall grass. The roof only has one security camera, I would recommend that as a point of entry."

"Ok, that's where we'll go in. Remember, we want Ward alive." For some reason, Arno felt that last part was aimed at him. The plan was then set in motion. They made their way to the roof of the building next to the compound and Bucky appeared on the opposite roof.

Steve decided to make one more thing clear. "I don't need to remind everyone that we need to keep this as contained as possible. We already caused enough trouble in Paris. We don't need to draw any more attention to ourselves."

With a running start, Steve and Bucky jumped from the building and landed on the roof without any trouble and Bucky quickly took out the camera with a silenced shot to the lens. Arno threw a grappling hook across. Once it was secured, he and Natasha climbed over to the join the two super soldiers. Arno went straight for the vents and quickly made his way down. The others went for the stairs that led down from the roof.

Steve stopped at the top floor while everyone else continued down. Within minutes, everyone was where they needed to be. As far as they knew, the enemy was still unaware of their breach. Arno was in the basement vents and was checking the rooms through the grates as he quietly crawled through them. Still no sign of Ward.

He checked the hall and noticed most of the men were carrying boxes of files and papers into a certain room. "What are they doing?" Arno thought to himself. He followed the vents until he found his way over the room. There was a large furnace.

They're burning everything.

He whispered into the comm. "They're burning files in the basement. I don't see Ward though."

Steve quickly replied. "Ok, lets wrap this up quick and try to retrieve any remaining files. Mission, execute." With that signal, Arno did his thing. He silently exited the vent and landed quietly in the furnace room next to the door. Just as he did, an agent walked in. Arno quickly grabbed him and knocked him unconscious.

He made his way to the hall just in time to see Natasha peek around a corner at the other end. Between them was about eight agents. Acting together, they both charged into the hall. One by one, the agents fell to their superior fighting skills. Arno delivered a kick to a man's chest and turned to find himself facing Natasha.

All of the agents in the hall had been dealt with. They quickly started checking every room. They came across three more guards and quickly handled them too. Within minutes, they had checked every room. They met back up in the hallway.

"Steve, Ward isn't in the basement."

"Ok, I've finished checking upstairs. He's not up here either. Keep loo-" In the next second, Arno heard an explosion. Then he felt it. Each room began to erupt in fire as they both were knocked to the ground. A door was blown off the hinges and nearly hit Arno as it flew over him. His ears were ringing and his vision was a blur.

The building had been rigged. Smoke enveloped the hall as fire began to spread through the basement. Arno only had one thing on his mind now. He called out through the smoke.

"Natasha?"

Nothing.

"Natasha?!"

As he started regaining his senses, he frantically searched for her through the smoke. He crawled on the floor to stay under the smoke and he could make out her red hair ahead of him. As he crawled, burning parts of the ceiling were beginning to fall through.

When he got to her, she was unconscious. She was pinned beneath a block of rubble that had fallen on her. "Natasha!" He grabbed the rubble and tried to lift but it didn't budge. His worry started to boil over as the fire was quickly spreading. A piece fell on him and set his sleeve on fire. He quickly smothered it out.

Thinking quickly, he found a metal pipe. He jammed it under the rubble and applied every bit of strength he had until it lifted off her.

He heard Steve's voice behind him. "Arno?! Nat?!" He glanced over his shoulder to see Steve running down the stairs. Returning his focus to Natasha, he picked her up over his shoulder and made his way to the stairs. Steve could barely see him coming towards him but he managed to yell. "The whole buildings coming down!"

Without replying, Arno followed Steve up the stairs and the smoke didn't dissipate at all as they continued climbing. Arno could feel it burning his lungs but he had to get Natasha out of here.

Soon, they were back on the roof and without dropping her, Arno fell to one knee. The fresh air was most welcome but it make him cough painfully. Steve was at his side.

"We need evac on the roof right now!"

Within seconds, Tony and Sam were there. Tony took Natasha over his shoulder and quickly flew her away to safety. As Sam grabbed Arno, the roof started to give beneath them. With a burst of thrust, Sam lifted Arno from the roof.

Steve shouted as he realized something. "Where's Bucky?!" As he said that, Bucky appeared out of the staircase and didn't stop running across the roof. When Steve saw him making a break for the edge, he quickly followed him. As they reached the edge and jumped, the building began to collapse. They landed hard on the next roof and they watched as the Hydra base crumbled.

After a few seconds, Steve noticed Bucky clutching a large file in his hand. "What is that?"

Bucky quickly tucked the file away. "I'll tell you later."

Steve didn't have time to pry information from Bucky, he needed to check on his team. "Tony, how's Nat?"

"A little beat up and out cold but she's alive." "And Arno?"

"He's still getting smoke out of his lungs but otherwise, fine." Sam spoke through the comm.

This was a disaster. Several Hydra agents were dead, an archive of information had been destroyed, and they almost didn't make it out. Ward. It had to be. He buried his own men, and for what? To destroy Hydra's secrets? To destroy any Avengers in the explosion? They needed to find him. This ends today.

"Tony, you and Sam get back to searching the city for Ward. He had to be the one that triggered the explosion. We'll take care of Arno and Natasha. Jarvis, can you track the detonator signal?"

"Yes sir... The signal came from a van moving west. Sending you the coordinates." They were still down two team members. Looking at the coordinates, Steve formed a quick plan.

"Wanda, Clint, the car is heading for you. Find it and stop it. Rhodey, what's the status of the convoy?"

Rhodey's scream was heard through the comm. "They just opened fire on us!"

* * *

Rhodey and Vision were watching the convoy from a distance but when they heard things going bad in town, they decided to approach. Once they were close enough, two men leaned out of the window in the rear vehicle and fired at them with submachine guns. The bullets bounced off Rhodey's suit but he was still concerned. "Steve, we need to stop these guys."

"Ok, do it."

Rhodey turned to Vision. "Stop the lead truck. I'll take the back. We'll box the others in." Vision flew in front of the convoy and turned to face the vehicle just as a man leaned out the window with an RPG. Beams shot from his eyes, splitting through the engine and the front axle. The front of the truck hit the ground and it skidded to a stop. Rhodey disabled the rear truck with a shot to the rear, making both back tires fall off.

The middle two vehicles were trapped. Several men got out with weapons but at seeing both Vision and Rhodey, they sensed the futility of their situation and lowered their weapons to the ground.

Rhodey checked every vehicle for Ward. "Ward isn't in the convoy but we stopped it and now we've got some new friends to talk to."

Steve almost replied immediately. "He must be in the van. Round up the prisoners and bring them to the jet."

* * *

Wanda stood on one side of the road, while Clint stood on the other. Their plan was pretty simple. Stop the van and gas out anyone inside. Soon, the van was spotted quickly approaching them. Wanda locked up all four tires, while Clint fired a gas arrow into the open window. The cab quickly filled with gas and coughing could be heard inside.

Three men quickly exited. Clint's eyes focused on one that was none other than Grant Ward. "We found Ward." Clint rushed to the rear of the van with an arrow trained on Ward's head. Ward and the other two finally composed themselves enough to notice Clint. The street lights barely illuminating the street. Noticing that each of them was armed with a handgun, Ward smirked at Clint. "Hey Clint. It's good to see you again."

"It's over Ward. We're taking you in."

Ward looked at the other two and chuckled. "You know, I never understood the whole Robin Hood getup. But the way I see it, we're all armed and I only see one arrow in that bow."

No sooner had the words left his mouth before each of their guns began to glow red and fly out of their hands. Then each of their guns were trained back on them while floating in the air.

Wanda stepped around the van. "You were saying?"

Clint let his arrow fire at Ward. It hit him in the chest and sent a pulse of electricity through him and into the other two men standing near him. They all fell to the ground. "One arrow is all I need. We got Ward."

Arno sat by Natasha's side as she laid on the medical table still unconcious. Steve had sent for a medical team and an additional jet from Avengers HQ. He held her hand and just watched her. The doctor had given him an oxygen mask to help clear the remaining smoke from his lungs and he would occasionally have a few coughs but mainly he was just tired.

He laid his head on the table, deciding to get at least a little rest while never letting go of her hand. Arno didn't know how much time had passed before he felt her grip tighten and she shot up on the table with a gasp. Arno quickly stood. "Natasha?"

Her wide eyes looked at him as she took quick breaths. She looked all around at her surroundings. She seemed to calm down some and finally turned back to him. "Arno? What happened?"

Ignoring her question because he was more concerned for her health. "How do you feel?"

She brought her hand to her head. "Like I've been kicked by a mule and thrown down some stairs."

"Ward rigged the basement. You're safe now though."

"Did we get him?" Arno smirked. "Yeah we got him."

The doctor came and checked on her. She had a slight concussion and a couple of minor fractures. Mostly cuts and bruises beyond that. The entire time, she never let go of Arno's hand. They moved her to a bed on the jet as they were preparing to depart for the HQ. Knowing that she would be alright, Arno was finally able to rest in a chair next to her bed.

At the end of the night, the Avengers had taken 15 prisoners, including Ward. One jet transported the prisoners back to HQ. Wanda and Vision took that jet too in case the prisoners decided to cause trouble. Everyone else took the other. It was safe to assume that everyone had the same thing on their mind: Is this finally the end of Hydra?

They arrived at the HQ at early sunrise. As the prisoners were taken away to the cells, Steve decided to say a few words. He stood at the ramp of the jet.

"Avengers, it's been a long and tough fight. And there will be other fights. But for now, there's peace. Let's take a moment and remember those we've lost to Hydra. Those who laid down their lives to defy evil and to protect those they love."

Everyone stood there in silence. Some remembering their fallen comrades, others remembering the times they fought Hydra. Arno stood there in silence remembering everything that had happened in the relatively short time he'd been here.

It was surprisingly a lot. But he could honestly say he liked his new life. His new friends.

Steve spoke up after a minute. "Alright, lets all get some rest. We'll resume training in four days."

Everyone started making their way to their rooms as the sun began to shine through the base. Arno decided to get something to eat before checking up on Natasha. He went to the kitchen area and nearly jumped when he found Bucky sitting at the table.

What's he reading? Arno grabbed a drink before moving near the table. "Everything okay?"

He quickly realized the super soldier didn't know he was standing there because Arno soon had a metal hand around his throat. Bucky seemed to relax when he realized it was Arno. He finally let go.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were standing there." Arno coughed a couple times but he was fine after.

"I see that. What's got you on edge?" Bucky looked back at the table. The file had fallen open on the floor and Arno saw a picture of Bucky. He started to reach for it but Bucky quickly snatched it up.

Sensing this was something Bucky didn't want to discuss, Arno just nodded. "Maybe you should talk to Steve about that."

Bucky didn't say a word. He just nodded.

With that, he turned and left the room after grabbing an apple. Bucky didn't know him so obviously he wouldn't want to talk to him about anything. Arno made his way to the infirmary where he found Natasha sound asleep. He decided to sit in a chair in the corner so he wouldn't disturb her. He hadn't slept well on the flight back so he decided a little more sleep would do him some good. He closed his eyes and soon drifted too sleep.

Despite this being a huge victory, Arno had a feeling there would be plenty more enemies in the near future.

 **I know, there's no way this chapter could live up to an almost seven month build up. It's been so long since I updated, you might have to read the two previous chapters to remember whats happening. Thank yall for your patience and I'll do my best to update soon. The bright side is I'm not in college anymore. However, I'm putting 40+ hours a week. I love but envy those authors that update every two-three days. I'm obviously not one of em. Please leave a review of what you thought of the chapter and possible suggestions to where you think the story should go from here. (I've got an idea, but I like hearing other ideas.)**


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